Humanity - Blessing or Curse?
by Fakin'it
Summary: What if Edward got his wish to become human? Would Bella still want him, accepting his lies & choices? Would she put up w/his early 1900's attitude & morals w/o the supernatural benefits & the promise of eternity? Edward found a 'cure' after he left. Human Edward & Alice are waiting in Bella's house after her cliff dive, clueless to her activities. Not B/E - B/Jasper. New Moon AU
1. Back, But Not Better Than Ever

**Disclaimer: **This is based on the characters in the Twilight series created by Stephenie Meyer.I'm just playing with them for fun.

**Back, But Not Better Than Ever**

As I vaguely considered whether or not I could give the shattered, tattered remains of my heart to Jacob, I saw something familiar lit up in the headlights of my truck. Parked on the street in front of my house was a silver Volvo.

"Edward!" I whispered exultantly. "He came back!"

Jacob flinched and pulled away from me, snarling under his breath. "Dammit, Bella! When are you going to get the hell over him! He's not coming back!"

"He did! That's his car!" I insisted, pointing at it with a trembling finger.

Jacob growled and rolled down the window, carefully sniffing the air. He smirked and shook his head. "Sorry, toots. There's no leeches around here."

I furrowed my brow in confusion. "That's his car, and he never lets anyone else drive it."

Jacob shook his head again, believing me to be delusional. "Well, there's two humans waiting inside your house. I can hear their heartbeats from here. Shall we?"

I got out of the car, shivering with nervousness and anticipation. No matter what Jacob said, I recognized the license plate on the Volvo. I knew it was _his_. Looking at the house, I saw the lights were on in the living room, even though there wasn't supposed to be anybody home. I rushed over to the front door and let myself inside, finding the door unlocked. Jacob was on my heels, ready to protect me from whomever or whatever we found.

As soon as I made it to the entrance of the living room, my eyes lit on the most beautiful sight for sore eyes. Both Edward and Alice were there waiting for me with shining eyes and open arms.

I ran forward straight into Edward's arms, ignoring the heat of Jacob's glare on my back.

"Oof!" Edward muttered as I collided with him. I wrapped my arms around him, yet gestured with one hand for Alice to join in our embrace, which she eagerly did.

"I missed you so much," I sobbed, resting my forehead on Edward's chest. It gradually began to dawn on me that he felt much warmer and softer than he had in the past, as did Alice.

"What the hell is going on here?" Jacob demanded, confused and jealous.

I pulled back to look into Edward's eyes and gasped in shock when I saw emerald green staring back at me instead of yellow.

Edward's gaze then shot over to Jacob, his eyebrows furrowing. "Who are you?"

"Jacob Black. Who are you?"

"Edward Cullen."

"That's impossible! You're human, not a bloodsucker!" Jacob angrily protested.

Edward's eyes widened. "I thought you didn't believe the legends."

"Yeah, well I do now," Jacob sneered, his limbs shaking slightly.

I quickly interrupted, hoping to give Jacob time to calm down. "How are you human? What happened?"

_This is terrible!_ I thought, seeing how weak and sickly they both looked. _Now they're just as vulnerable to Victoria as __I__ am! Where is Carlisle? He needs to change them back to vampires as soon as possible, before she kills them!_

Edward grinned down at me while Alice bounced in place. Together they pulled me over to the couch to explain, sitting on either side of me. Jacob flounced down into Charlie's chair in disgust.

"I'm so sorry for the way I broke up with you," Edward began.

_Oh, crap, I don't want to talk about that right now! I don't want to break down again in front of them. I know you didn't want me._ I felt myself starting to spiral back down as I realized the hope I was feeling was false. I didn't know why he was back, but it wasn't for me.

"I lied. I left to protect you from myself and my family. You were constantly in danger when you were with me, and I couldn't risk your soul by changing you into a monster like me. I always told you if I could change for you I would. I thought I would never be able to see you again, so I wanted to make you hate me. I said what I needed to for you to let me go, so you could move on and have a happy human life without me."

_What? He lied?_ My thoughts stuttered, confused. _What does he mean he lied?_

"Are you fucking stupid?" Jacob interrupted, growling. "You broke her! She was catatonic for months! I've been doing my damnedest to win her heart and get her to move on, but she told me she's empty inside and has nothing left to give anyone else. I have some idea of the things you said, but only because she talks in her sleep during the nightmares she has _every_ fucking night in which she relives that conversation. How the fuck could you tell her she wasn't good enough for you? She already had a shit self-esteem before she met you, and you fucking trashed what little she had!"

I hung my head in shame, not wanting them to know of my weakness. _My pain wasn't their problem. They didn't want me. Jacob is only confirming how weak and unworthy I am._

Edward's eyes filled with tears, which overflowed and spilled down his cheeks. It was odd, seeing him crying for real. "Oh, Bella!" he sobbed, taking both my hands in his and squeezing them gently. "I didn't mean it that way! I never meant you to take my words to heart! Can you ever forgive me?"

"Um, sure, I guess. I mean, you came back, right?" I replied, somewhat hesitantly, still unsure as to why he was here. _He wants me to forgive him for not wanting me? I can't blame him for that. I wouldn't want me either._

Jacob snorted. I shot him a look and urged, "Look, we can worry about that in a little bit. I still need to know what happened to you." Looking at him and Alice, I felt it must have been something truly horrendous, much worse than the things I'd been suffering.

Edward sniffled and nodded, pulling his hand away to wipe his face on his shirt sleeve. _Eww, gross_, I couldn't help thinking as he smeared away his snot and tears.

"I found myself in South America and happened upon a little old lady, a witch. She called me out as a vampire, and I shamefully admitted I was. Her thoughts were conducted in a language I didn't understand. She spoke a few words, and I fell to the ground burning. Six days later I awoke as a human, with the woman standing over me triumphantly," he explained.

_What? That bitch! How dare she curse him like that and put him through so much pain! Now he's going to have to go through another three days of burning to restore himself to his former glory!_ I felt myself filling with righteous anger at the injustice my beloved had been dealt._ I hope the rest of the family took her out before she could do any more damage! Oh, shit! She got Alice too! Poor Alice and Jasper! I wonder how many of them had to suffer before one of them finished her._

I nodded encouragingly to Edward, showing him my support. He grinned and continued, "I fell to my knees in front of her and thanked her profusely. She seemed taken aback, so I shared my story with her. I told her how I'd hated my existence, how I hunted animals so I wouldn't be a murderer as well as a monster. I explained how I'd fallen in love with a human girl and broke my own heart to leave her behind, so I wouldn't damn her to becoming a soulless being like myself. I praised her for restoring my soul and my humanity, thrilled I could now return to my love and marry you and give you all the things you deserve. We can grow old together, surrounded by our children and grandchildren."

I flinched. _Marriage, growing old, children, and grandchildren? Sounds like a nightmare to me! Is he insane? Did the transformation eat away his thought processes, kill off his brain cells? Has he been brainwashed by the witch? Wait, did he really just say he deliberately left me while still loving me to prevent me from becoming a vampire like I __wanted__? He intentionally broke my heart and my sanity to force me to stay a weak, pathetic, vulnerable __human__? Did I hear that right?_

Edward was too caught up in his story to notice my reaction, especially now he only had human senses. "I also explained to her how I'd been plagued with the ability to read the minds of everyone around me. I was delighted to no longer have that ability. I'm not haunted by a perfect memory anymore, so I don't recall all the little details of the past century. I just know the basics, the important stuff. It's such a relief not to have that kind of recall."

_He's lost his gift too?_ I thought in horror. _That must mean Alice has too! We're blind - sitting ducks! And he's happy about the loss of intelligence? He likes being slow and stupid? What the hell? I can't wait to get a vampire brain and be able to successfully consider a dozen things at the same time! What is __wrong__ with him?! Doesn't he realize how much better it is to be a vampire than a human?_

Edward continued, oblivious to my mounting horror. "I asked her if she'd be willing to share her gift with the rest of my family. She thought I was crazy at first, not wanting me to invite other vampires to be close to her."

_Oh my God! He __is__ insane! He deliberately brought this curse down on the rest of his family! How could he do that to them?_ I mentally whimpered. Looking over, I could see even Jacob thought the guy was insane, though probably not for the same reasons I did.

"I explained their histories, especially Rose's and Esme's, how much they regretted not being able to have children of their own. I told her about Carlisle, how he'd never drank from humans, how he discovered the ability to drink from animals instead, how he tried to convert others to his diet, and how he worked as a doctor to save as many human lives as possible. That's what sold her. She wanted to meet him, to try and understand how a vampire could have so much care and respect for human life. I called my family and told them what happened. They flew down to join me."

_Poor Cullens! They walked right into the trap!_ I thought, able to picture it in my head. Jacob looked so confused. This was turning everything he thought he knew about vampires on its head.

"Jasper was suspicious. He hung back out of her sight, but close enough to listen to her. He tried to get Alice to stay back too, but she insisted on going."

_Yes! Thank God one of them was smart enough to keep his distance! Obviously Jasper got the brains in the family. He's the only one with any sense! Please let him still be a vampire! Please let him have survived unscathed so he can fix all the others!_

"Jasper used his gift to force the witch to confess she changed me out of maliciousness, meaning it to be a curse. She's changed other vampires before, human drinkers, and they hated her for it. She was blown away by my response, never having considered there were good vampires who didn't want to hurt anyone, as well as bad ones who enjoyed causing death and destruction. After meeting my family, especially Carlisle, she developed a new perspective. She said people who had pure hearts before they became vampires could retain their inner light, even after becoming creatures of darkness."

_Yes, Carlisle is a pure soul. Anyone can see that. So, if she had a change of heart, why is poor Alice a human too?_ I wondered.

"The others all begged her to return them to their human states. Carlisle asked if he could wait a year before changing, just so he could take care of all of us while we relearned how to live as humans and make sure we were settled and stable before taking that step himself. He told me later Jasper reminded him this could be a trick and he'd need to save us if it was. Jasper also reminded him his enhanced skills were what saved so many lives human doctors couldn't and warned him he would lose most of his memories in the transformation. Apparently, Carlisle's aura showed he was a pure soul, so she granted his request."

_Oh, my God, even knowing it was a curse, not a blessing, they still asked for her evil magic? Couldn't they tell by looking at Edward that it wasn't a good change?_ I thought. _Did they all really hate their existence that much? Even Emmett? That doesn't make sense to me. This doesn't add up right. She must've brainwashed them somehow to make them think this was a good thing, when it clearly isn't._

"It's been an adjustment, learning how to be human again, but we've all enjoyed it tremendously, especially the sleeping and eating parts. We came back here to you as soon as we could," Edward concluded with a happy smile.

"So only Carlisle and Jasper are still vampires?" I asked, trying to make sure I understood the seriousness of the situation we were now facing.

He nodded and Alice said, "Yep!"

"Crap! This is bad!" I muttered, my thoughts racing.

"What?!" All three of the others in the room exclaimed at the same time.

I turned to Jacob and demanded, "Have you forgotten Victoria? She wants revenge against not only me, but the Cullens too, for killing James, remember? Now that they're human, they not only can't help take her out, but they're just as much in danger as I am!"

"Victoria?!" Edward and Alice yelped.

I paused, thinking of the red flame in the water. It suddenly occurred to me what it was.

"Oh shit!" I whimpered, looking over at Jacob. "She was in the water today! She almost got me!"

I realized he wasn't paying attention to me. He had finally met Alice's blue eyes when she looked his way, freaking out about Victoria and wondering what he knew. He was now staring at her as if she was the only thing in the world that mattered, the way Sam looked at Emily and Jared gazed at Kim.

_He just imprinted on Alice!_ I thought, worried. _What does that mean for Jasper? Isn't she __his__ soul mate? Was her bond to Jasper broken when she became human again? _I realized the hole in my chest had disappeared, the pain completely erased as if it had never been. _Is it because he's here claiming to love me or because our bond is now broken? Doesn't he realize humans don't do forever the way supernatural beings do? Jacob's imprint on Alice has just proven that beyond a shadow of a doubt._

"Don't worry! The pack will protect you!" Jacob assured Alice, his focus completely on her, as hers was on him.

"The pack?" she asked, confused.

"We're werewolves, remember?" he reminded her with a grin.

"Werewolves?" Edward muttered, frustrated. He glared at me. "Really, Bella? The vampires leave town and you start hanging out with werewolves? Do you have a death wish?"

I hated his condescending tone and immediately bristled. "Actually, Edward, I would be dead if it weren't for the werewolves! Laurent already tried to eat me, and Victoria has been trying to get close to me for months now. She intends to torture me mercilessly. The wolves are the only reason Charlie and I are still alive and whole. So you can take your attitude and shove it where the sun don't shine, dipshit!"

I couldn't believe he had the nerve to lecture me, when he'd left me unprotected at the mercy of vengeful psychotic vampire.

"Bella!" he gasped. "Such language is unbecoming of a young lady!"

"Really, Edward?" I complained, my tone as condescending as his had been. "That's all you got out of that? Are you stupid now too? We're talking about life and death and torture, and all you can think about is a little foul language?"

_Damn, I'd say the bond __is__ broken. I'm not feeling the need to spare his feelings anymore._ I realized. _He's not the man I loved. He's an egotistical, self-righteous idiot!_

"We need to go see Carlisle," Alice announced determinedly, standing up and heading toward the front door. Jacob jumped up to join her.

Edward scowled at me, pulling away, offended by my words. I rolled my eyes, thinking,_ I don't have time for his little temper tantrum._ I ignored his behavior, following Jacob and Alice.

"Bella! Where are you going? I'm not finished with this little discussion," he demanded standing up and putting his hands on his hips.

"Well, I am. I need to warn Carlisle of the danger you're all in now and what's been happening in your absence," I informed him over my shoulder as I headed to the door.

I didn't feel the least bit dazzled by him anymore. He was cute, but no longer abnormally beautiful. He didn't take my breath away. He had zits and blemishes on his face, as well as little sprouts of peach fuzz on his chin and upper lip. His hair was slightly greasy and stuck up in odd little tufts here and there. Without the vampiric glamour, it no longer looked like something artfully arranged for a shampoo commercial. Instead, it looked just as chaotic as anyone else's bed head. The look no longer worked for him. He didn't resemble a hot, sexy model. He didn't take my breath away, his scent didn't draw me in the way it once did. If anything, I could tell he needed to use a little more deodorant and a little less cologne. He reminded me of Mike, Eric, and Tyler. He was no different than any of the other human boys who had never been able to capture my interest.

His hands were soft and clammy now. His eyes didn't smolder. Actually, they were just a bit closer together than one would generally deem attractive. He had lost the muscular definition of being a vampire and now strongly resembled a 98 pound weakling. I had a sudden glimpse of Edward in 1918 as a spoiled Mama's boy - the nerdy, privileged son of a lawyer, who studied hard and practiced the piano for hours every day, with foolish dreams of earning glory in a war that would end before he was even old enough to enlist. He was heart whole and a prude, not just because of the times in which he grew up, but because no girl he'd met as a socially awkward human had been enamored of him.

I shook away my negative impressions, telling myself,_ I'm just angry at the choices he made on my behalf without bothering to consult me – leaving for my safety, destroying any vestige of my self-esteem with harsh words to force me to let him go without a fight, becoming human, expecting me to want marriage and children. _

I had been devastated, depressed, and hurt in all the months since he left, but I hadn't yet dealt with the anger, betrayal, and resentment I had a right to feel. I shouldn't be surprised it was rising up in me now, especially in light of his confession that all the harsh words he'd said to me were intentional lies.

_So he hurt me for no reason. _I hadn't blamed him when I thought he just lost interest. That I could understand. It was what I had always expected to happen to us eventually. _Yet he broke up with me while still loving and wanting me. He deliberately set out to crush me, to send me spiraling into a crippling depression, out of some misguided belief it would be what was best for me. What the fuck? On what planet does that make sense? How can I handle that knowledge? _

_He returned, true, but in this lesser form that not only offers me no protection from the vicious vampire hellbent on revenge, but also no longer promises forever. No eternity, not even til death do us part. Why would I, should I __ever__ trust a __human__ with my heart?_

I had borne witness to what happened with Charlie and Renee. I knew the story of Sam, Emily, and Leah. Human love, no matter how strong, was pitifully weak in the face of supernatural bonds. Otherwise Sam would've chosen to be Emily's brother and best friend when he imprinted on her, while remaining faithful to Leah. It's what Emily wanted, what she begged of him. Instead, he dropped Leah like yesterday's news, the same way Jacob is now hanging onto Alice's every breath without sparing me, his former infatuation, a single thought.

_Supernatural devotion is powerful and everlasting. Supernatural soul mates can't and won't cheat on one another or deliberately hurt one another._ I had seen the love between Sam and Emily after the bond took hold. Never again would he risk injuring her, even by accident. I'd seen Jared and Kim, Carlisle and Esme, Rosalie and Emmett. _No matter what, mates never get bored with one another, never decide the other isn't worth it and just walk away._

I froze for a minute, overwhelmed with my epiphany. _If I had been a vampire, Edward couldn't and wouldn't have walked away. He could only do it because I was human. I had accepted the supernatural bond between us, but he hadn't._

Emily hadn't been locked in to Sam until she accepted the imprint after he accidentally injured her. Before that, she could have walked away. It would have devastated him, but she could have gone on to love another. He would've been hurt, but would've eventually moved on once Emily broke the imprint.

Edward had never accepted our bond. He'd constantly fought against it, knowing it meant I'd become a vampire. That's why he was able to walk away and why I'd been devastated. Once Edward became human and chose to stay that way, the supernatural bond between us was completely severed.

I could feel the lack of bond deep within myself where the hole used to be. Even if I entered into a relationship with Edward now, even if we chose to bond ourselves together as two humans, there was no guarantee we would work. We could grow apart, get bored with one another, find others who were better suited. Upon reflection, we had very little in common. We didn't share the same interests or values. As humans, our relationship was doomed before it even began. I wasn't attracted to his weak, sweaty human body, so we didn't even have the luxury of lust to pull us together.

He'd already proven he'd run away when the going got tough. First with James and again after my birthday. I didn't trust him not to leave again. In fact, I was willing to put money on that being his first response to this situation with Victoria, now that he knew about it. He was a coward, plain and simple. All the angst I'd suffered the past few months seemed like such a waste of my time and energy.

Edward glared at me from the side of his Volvo as I made my way to my truck. "Where are you going? I'm driving!"

I smiled to myself at his attitude. "Yes, you are, but so am I. I'm not getting stranded at your house, Edward. I will drive myself and leave when I'm ready."

Jacob whimpered as he looked back and forth between Alice and me. He felt like he ought to go with me, but the imprint made him unwilling to leave Alice's side.

"You go ahead and ride with them, Jake," I told him. "It's cool."

"It's not safe for you to ride alone," Edward insisted. "What if Victoria comes?"

I chuckled and lifted an eyebrow. "What are _you_ going to do about it if she does? It'll be safer for us to be in separate cars. She can't take us both out at the same time, which means at least one of us can go for help."

He furrowed his brows, unable to argue with my logic. I shrugged and got into my truck, firing up the engine and backing out of the driveway, not waiting for a reply. I saw the three of them scramble into the Volvo and shoot off after me. I could see Edward's angry face in my rear view mirror and smirked to myself.

He and his volatile emotions no longer had any power over me. Whether he stayed or left again had no bearing on my future, because my future no longer included him in it. I knew he would leave eventually anyway, so I had no intention of opening myself up to be hurt by him again.

I reflected on my feelings during the drive and made peace with myself and the past.

**xxxxxxx**

**AN:** Just to be clear - **the first half a dozen chapters are not meant to be taken seriously and are deliberately written with TV sitcom/parody style exaggeration of personality traits and character flaws.** Yes, I'm aware this type of humor is somewhat juvenile and not typically found in serious stories. **I assure you there *is* a real story with a complex plot hidden behind the initial slapstick** of the first six chapters for anyone who chooses to continue reading. I admit there are also a few additional slapstick scenes included in later chapters as comic relief.

Honestly, this is the result of two completely different story ideas blended into one story. The first idea is based upon my belief that if Edward had ever succeeded in changing back into a human like he wished, then Bella probably wouldn't have wanted him anymore. He wouldn't have been able to 'dazzle' her into getting his way all the time, and she wouldn't have been so blind to his faults. Without the supernatural soul mate bond holding them together, they didn't have much in common. In my mind, this idea of her breaking up with him for becoming human was always meant to be written with a parody style of humor.

The second idea was a complex plot bunny involving a nefarious witch's curse and the effects it had on vampires and their community. This was meant to be a serious story, with mystery, intrigue, and character growth. Blending the two story ideas together has created an odd combination, but I think if you give it a chance, you'll be pleasantly surprised. The slapstick is really only a small portion of the total story.


	2. Love Defined

**Love Defined**

Carlisle and Esme were waiting on the porch for us when we arrived. Their hugs were both warm and welcoming, even with the chill of Carlisle's granite skin. I had missed the coldness.

I noticed how Carlisle tensed when Jacob got out of the Volvo. In a flash, Jasper was outside also, his stance intimidating. I grinned, inordinately pleased to see him. I admired the strength he'd demonstrated by staying a vampire despite the pleadings and pressure I was sure he'd received from the others.

_How could they have not considered all the downsides to being human before taking that leap? How could Emmett look at this human Edward and still make the decision to go down the same path? Emmett loves being a vampire! Why would he give that up? The witch must have bewitched them into believing it was a good idea! Why was Jasper the only one to see that the benefits of being a vampire far outweigh the negatives, and the cons of being human far outweigh the pros?_ I wondered. _Thank God he's still able to protect us all._ I had a fleeting flashback of him ripping off James's head and hoped he'd be able to take out Victoria just as easily.

Jasper shot me a brief look of surprised confusion at feeling all the positive emotions I directed his way, but that millisecond was all he spared before concentrating his dark eyes on the shifter who was his mortal enemy. Jacob shuddered and let loose a slight growl, stepping protectively in front of Alice.

"Oh, don't be silly! Jazzy won't hurt me!" Alice trilled, putting a calming hand on Jacob's back.

Jasper's eyes widened, and he straightened, crossing his arms over his chest and nodding resignedly.

"Your mating bond broke when she became human, didn't it?" I whispered curiously.

He looked at me in awe, before nodding ever so slightly. "I felt it start to fray the moment her transformation began, and it was barely a thread by the time we got here. It didn't snap completely though until just now, when she fully accepted the bond she has with him. It made me wonder about you and Edward though and whether or not your bond would survive his transformation. Your half of the bond was always so much stronger than his. Your love was deeper, because you accepted the mating bond, while he fought against it."

"What? That's not possible! She was a human, and I was a vampire! My feelings were stronger than hers!" Edward insisted, having moved close enough to overhear the last portion of Jasper's explanation.

_So he acknowledges love bonds are stronger between vampires, but he set his sights on human love instead? That doesn't make sense_, I mentally sighed.

Jasper raised an eyebrow. "You dare doubt the empath? Her love for you was much stronger than yours for her. Her pain once you left would have been much deeper than yours too."

Edward scoffed. "I don't believe you. You're just trying to make me feel bad."

Jasper suffused the entire area with overwhelming love, devotion, hope, and adoration that welled up inside of me, bringing tears to my eyes. I remembered it well. "That's the love Bella used to feel every time she came to the house," he announced. Everyone stared at me in awe. I hung my head, blushing heavily. _ I was so naive!_

"That's as strong as what the wolves feel when they imprint!" Jacob declared. He winced. "I'm sorry, I never understood how strong your bond was, Bella. No wonder I didn't stand a chance."

The feelings were replaced with a conditional, judgmental, possessive kind of love. It was definitely more than infatuation, but held strong elements of obsession, jealousy, curiosity and fascination. It was also colored by worry, concern, fear, and regret. Underlying it all was a dark desire, the thirst for blood, death, and destruction.

"That's what you felt, Edward," Jasper explained. "Not the same thing, is it?"

_Man, I wish I'd had Jasper show me that last summer. Based on his feelings, I'm not at all surprised he left. There wasn't anything I could've done to make him stay. Him running away was inevitable, _I realized.

Edward flinched and shook his head morosely. "You see why I had to leave. Why I had to become human. I couldn't love her the way she needed while my inner beast tormented me, begging for her precious blood. I was a monster, not the man she deserved."

_You're still not the man I deserve_, I thought bitterly.

"You got that right," Jacob muttered in disgust. "Her love was pure, but _yours_ was tainted. You did the right thing in leaving. You filthy leeches don't know the meaning of love."

_No, my love hadn't been pure_. Now that I thought about it, I realized there had been underlying tastes of clinginess and unworthiness. _I had worshipped Edward and his family before, placing them up on pedestals they didn't want or deserve. I thought they were perfect. I was blind to all the issues hidden below the surface, seeing only what they allowed me to see. I never would've guessed they'd willingly become human again. That just blows my mind._

Jasper scowled. "You're wrong, mutt. That was just _Edward_. Don't tar the rest of us with the same brush. This is Carlisle's love for Esme, even now while she's human and he isn't."

I was suddenly filled with so much love, devotion, and adoration I was fit to burst at the seams. It was ten times, no, a hundred times more powerful than what I'd felt for Edward.

"Oh, Carlisle!" Esme breathed, looked up at him, her eyes filled with tears of joy. "You really love me that much? I love you too!"

I heard Jasper breathe a sigh of relief and saw he was looking at Esme. _I bet knowing the true depth of his feelings for her erased any doubts and insecurities she's been feeling. It would've strengthened their bond as well, freeing her up to reciprocate wholeheartedly, not feeling the need to hold back part of herself for fear of getting hurt. It's natural for humans to feel unworthy in the presence of vampire beauty and perceived perfection. I know I did._

"Damn, okay, I take it back," Jacob agreed. "I had no idea lee- uh, vampires could love like that." He looked at Carlisle with amazement and a kernel of respect.

Jasper turned and quietly addressed me, "Bella, do you remember the pain you felt when Edward left?"

I sighed and thought about the hole that had eaten away at my innards for the past months, rendering me nothing more than a shell of my former self.

Jasper flinched, then sent that pain into everyone else. They all dropped to their knees, wrapping their arms desperately around themselves, trying to hold themselves together while feeling like someone had torn their chests open and removed their hearts and lungs. It only lasted a few seconds, but left Carlisle and Esme, as well as Jacob and Alice, clinging desperately to each other.

"Good God! What was that?" Edward demanded shakily, glaring at Jasper.

"That was the pain you left me with, Edward. I felt that every single moment of every day from the second you disappeared until I saw you in my living room this evening," I informed him.

His jaw dropped as he stared at me in horror. Jacob now looked at me with understanding.

"I'm sorry, I never realized just how much you were hurting, Bells," Jacob admitted. "I saw the way you always tried to hold yourself together, and now I know why. Vampire mating really_ is_ just as strong as imprinting."

Jasper nodded. "The supernatural bonds are very similar, yes."

"How could you live with that much pain for so long, Bella?" Edward wondered, still trembling on his knees.

"What choice did I have?" I bitterly retorted.

He grimaced, admitting. "I would've gone insane."

"I did," I muttered under my breath, defensively crossing my arms over my chest. Jasper and Carlisle looked at me with alarm.

Jacob winced and spoke loud enough for the humans to hear. "Well, she kinda did, to be honest. I don't think she really wanted to live anymore, considering how she kept crashing her motorcycle and how she jumped off a cliff earlier today. She would've drowned if I hadn't performed CPR. Now I've had a small taste of how she's been feeling, I can't really blame her though. I'd have done anything to escape that pain too."

"You jumped off a cliff too?" Esme whimpered, tears streaking down her cheeks. "Just like I did. Oh, Edward, how could you do that to her?!"

I blushed under the scrutiny Carlisle and Jasper were now giving me, ignoring Edward's guilty, horrified face. I began looking around, wanting to take the focus off of me, and realized two people were missing. "Where's Emmett and Rosalie?"

Jasper and Carlisle grinned, while Esme chuckled. "They're enjoying a human honeymoon for the first time. Rose wanted to get a jump start on trying to have a baby now that it's possible," Alice shared.

"Rose wants to have a baby?" I asked in disbelief. _Wow, she never struck me as the maternal type. Most ice bitches don't make good moms. I could buy that reasoning for Esme though. Maybe that's why she agreed to go through the witch's curse. She thought she could have a baby of her own that way. But what is Alice's excuse?_

"Yes, it's all she's ever wanted," Edward replied, looking at me with confusion.

_Really?_ I thought. _Huh. Who'd have guessed?_

"Why do you find that so hard to believe?" Jasper wondered.

"Babies are loud and messy," I replied easily, shaking my head. "I can't imagine Rose being happy with a baby spitting up on her or getting food in her hair. Has she thought about changing dirty diapers and listening to hours of whining, fussing, and crying? Has she realized how much a child will cut into her social life and her private time with Emmett? Not to mention the types of cars she likes to drive. They're going to have to give up the jeep and the convertible for something safe and practical, like Edward's Volvo. She might as well forget fancy clothes and jewelry too."

The Cullens all stared at me for a few minutes without saying anything. Seeing their faces, Jacob laughed. "Yeah, Bella doesn't like kids," he informed them.

I scoffed and agreed. "Hate the little buggers. I don't plan on ever having any myself."

"What? You can't mean that!" Edward wailed, crestfallen.

I shook my head. "I can't believe you didn't already know that, Edward. I'm pretty sure I told you more than once, but you obviously blew me off, thinking I didn't know my own mind. Or maybe it's one of the things you forgot in the transformation. I had to raise my mother, doing her job taking care of the household and the bills ever since I could add and subtract. I did all the cooking and cleaning, making sure she was up and off to work on time. Plus, I often babysat neighborhood kids in Phoenix to earn the money to buy groceries, since Renee didn't have a lick of sense. I don't have a maternal bone in my body. I used up all my maternal instincts years ago. I don't want children, Edward. Ever."

I could almost see his foolish little daydreams of our future going up in smoke.

**xxxxxxx**

**AN:** I was amazed and inspired by the positive response I received. Like most, if not all, fanfiction writers reviews feed the muse, so you keep them coming and I will too. Deal? Thanks!


	3. One Hell of a Day

**One Hell of a Day**

"While we're at it, you should know I don't believe in marriage either," I reminded Edward, sure he hadn't listened when I'd told him that either. "Marriages don't last. Over 50% of marriages end in divorce. I don't intend to make that mistake. I heard about it all my life from my mom - how nobody should get married before they're 30, how fickle people are, how they don't even know what they really want until they're middle-aged. She admitted if she had it to do over again, she'd use birth control to avoid getting trapped into an unwanted marriage and motherhood. She had a string of dates, lovers, and boyfriends, some better than others. Most ignored me, a lot like my mother did, though a few paid_ too_ much attention to me, in a creepy kind of way, especially once I became a teenager."

Jasper and Carlisle both growled, their expressions fierce. Jake looked like he'd been sucking on a rotten lemon, while Alice stared at me with wide eyed alarm. Both she and Esme had tears in their eyes, and Esme's hand moved up to cover her mouth. Edward looked constipated. It was quite similar to the expression he'd worn as a vampire whenever he heard something he hated.

Carlisle cleared his throat, his face a mask of concern, and asked, "Did any of them ever . . .?"

I knew where the question was going and noticed Jasper staring malevolently into the distance, his body coiled with tension, as if ready to spring forth on a murderous rampage any second now. I hastily interrupted, "No! As soon as I sensed evil intentions and got uncomfortable with a guy, I would casually mention talking to my devoted father, the Chief of Police, and how I always tell him everything going on in my life, since I'd promised never to keep any secrets from him. Worked like a charm every time. They usually hastily made their excuses to Renee and hightailed it out of there, never to be seen or heard from again."

Jasper chuckled, staring down at me with warm admiration in his eyes. "So, you _do_ have some survival instincts after all. We'd often wondered."

Jacob snorted, muttering, "I know what you mean."

I shot them both a withering glare, then looked back at the ground while I continued making my point to Edward. "I lost track of the number of men who shared Renee's time, attention, and bed over the years, all those she was sure she loved and who swore they loved her in return. So many of them lied to her, used her, cheated on her, or simply stopped calling. So many broken promises, so many tears, and _I_ was the one who had to pick up the pieces each time she fell apart. At least she never forgot her birth control again," I added bitterly. "I'm sure_ I_ would've been the one taking care of any other _surprises_ that came along."

I paused, staring down at my hands clenched tightly together in front of me. I swallowed the lump in my throat, forcing down my emotions so I wouldn't cry, and raged, "You want to know why I never had a boyfriend before you, Edward? It's because I don't trust men or their false promises! I look at the boys at school and see they don't really care about who I am inside. They just want to get in my pants. How many girls have they already kissed, giving promises of love when it was only lust and infatuation? How many hearts have they already broken? How many girls have cried over them at night? Why should I give them the chance to hurt me like they did others? They don't want forever - they're only interested in the moment."

"Oh, honey!" Esme sighed. "I hate seeing how bitter you are when you're still so young. Maybe half of marriages end in divorce, but that means half of them_ don't_. Try to see the glass as half full, instead of half empty, sweetie."

Before I could respond, Edward chimed in with, "It's true that most kids these days don't have a strong sense of morals. They don't have any respect for themselves or others. They freely give away that which should only be shared in the marriage bed. I would never treat you with such disrespect, Bella!"

_He just doesn't get it, does he?_ I thought, sighing heavily. _ Can't he tell our bond is gone? How long before he realizes it? How long until he acknowledges he doesn't love me, only the idea of me, a fantasy he created in his own mind of the perfect girl? He's already proven he really didn't know me at all. He ripped away my hopes and dreams, shattering my heart, all so he could try to force me into the life he thought I should have, a life I've never wanted for myself._

"I don't want to embark on a series of relationships that are doomed to failure before they even begin, like normal humans do. I've seen the pain and heartache the human world has to offer, and I don't want any part of it," I tried to explain. "Growing up, I had no reason to believe 'happy ever after' was even a possibility. Then I met your family and saw the kind of love that could withstand the test of time. I've seen the vast difference between human love and supernatural love, both romantic and parental. Carlisle and Esme, you love your adopted children _way_ more than my parents ever loved me, even though I'm their own flesh and blood! Of course, you _chose_ to become parents, while I was just my parents' guilty_ mistake_, an obligation they didn't want or know how to handle. The only bonds I have any trust or faith in at all are supernatural ones, and even_ those_ obviously can't be guaranteed. Just look at Jasper and Alice! She willingly chose to give him up, just to become a weak human!"

Turning to Alice, I felt myself losing control of the emotions I was so tightly suppressing. "I mean, _really_, Alice! What the _hell_ were you _thinking_? How could it possibly be worth it to abandon your _soul mate_ just to become _this_?" I hissed, gesturing to her clearly undernourished body. _The mental institution definitely wasn't kind to her back when she was human. Good thing the imprint means Jacob's love is blind._

"Your mate tried to stop you, but you ignored his warning and went forward with it anyway!Why?" I demanded, totally at a loss. _ Now Victoria can eat you alive, like she wants to do to me!_

She looked at me as if I'd betrayed her, her eyes welling up with tears, while Jacob glared at me. "I wanted to be like _you_, my best friend. I wanted to be closer to you without the worry of accidentally hurting you. I wanted us to be able to have real sleepovers, where we both dropped off in sheer exhaustion after being up all night. I wanted us to watch movies together while both eating out of a big bowl of popcorn and devour whole pints of ice cream together while we talked about boys. I wanted to be able to grow and change the way I'd seen you do, even in the short amount of time we were together. Instead of pushing you to try things so I could live vicariously through you, I wanted to experience them for _myself_. I wanted to have human memories. I wanted to grow older and taller, so I wouldn't be stuck going to high school over and over again and be mistaken for a child for the rest of my existence. I wanted to grow into a woman, so I could have a career and gain the respect of other adults, like Carlisle does. I figured I could always just turn back into a vampire for Jazzy in a few years. He'd be a lot happier not being a perpetual student forever too, so I thought if I could look older, like he does, we'd have more options."

I sighed, wiping my face with my hands, feeling crappy for hurting her, but still so worried about what Victoria would do to her if she caught her. "I guess the grass is always greener on the other side. We always want what we can't have, rather than counting our blessings for what we already do, me included. I can see why you would be tempted, but I don't think you considered all the dangers when you made your choice. You assumed it was reversible, but who knows if that's true? I mean, _crap_, Alice! You could have done most of the things you wanted as a vampire anyway. If you really wanted ice cream, you could've frozen some blood in a cup and eaten it with a spoon. It's the same basic idea. I bet Jasper could have shared the sensations of exhaustion and put you to 'sleep' with his gift too, if you wanted.

You might not have been able to grow physically, but you could certainly grow mentally and emotionally. Otherwise Edward would've never seen the error of his ways and come back from his rebellious years, and none of you would be comfortable using computers. Carlisle wouldn't be able to drive a car, and I shudder to think of the kinds of medieval medical practices he'd be attempting to inflict upon his patients. Your family is constantly growing and adapting as the world around you changes. Plus, if you really wanted to look older, you could've just used special effects make-up. People in Hollywood do it all the time to make actors show age progression in the movies."

All the Cullens stared at me open-mouthed after I finished.

_What?_ I thought defensively. _What'd I say? _Jacob was scowling, his eyes narrowed and focused on me as if he wanted to hurt me._ I guess he really doesn't like me talking about his imprint being a vampire. Does he think I'm trying to talk her into changing back? I'm not that stupid. I know that would destroy his bond with her. Would the one with Jasper re-form if she did change back though? Does she owe it to him to return to him? Though I must admit, he doesn't seem overly brokenhearted about seeing her in the arms of another man._

"I never thought of that," Alice whispered. "Why didn't I ever think of that?"

I shot her a questioning look, pulled out of my contemplation on why Jasper wasn't devastated at the loss of Alice. _He must've known it was going to happen, given his description of the changes in their bond, and started dealing with the inevitable loss ever since her transformation_, I reasoned. _He wasn't surprised when it finally snapped completely. He's been waiting for it to happen._

"Using make-up to make us appear to age," Alice clarified.

I shrugged. _That's the least of our worries right now._ "I don't know. I didn't think of it until just now. Serendipity, I suppose. Of course, there's no going back since you've accepted the imprint, so most of it's a moot point anyway. It would kill Jake to lose you. Speaking of which, Jake, I think the elders must've been wrong on the purpose of imprinting. It can't be about who would produce the strongest offspring. There's no guarantee Alice's ovaries are still functional after all these years, or that her eggs haven't been affected by the two transformations. I seriously doubt she'll be able to conceive at all."

Esme whimpered, "Oh, Carlisle! What if she's right?"

I grimaced. _Oops. Guess that wasn't the most tactful way to broach the subject. Esme must have done this to have a baby, just like Rosalie. Now she's a woman I could see happily having half a dozen little rugrats running around. She'd be in her element for sure. I wish she was my mother, instead of Renee. I think that was half the attraction of getting with Edward - gaining his family as my own._

"Sorry, Esme. I didn't mean to upset you. I just would be really surprised if your reproduction system could go through becoming a vampire and then changing back to a human without it having any effect on your eggs or the DNA they contain. Especially considering the witch admitted she meant the change to human to be a punishment, not a cure. It was done as the result of a magical spell though, so who knows? Of course, I'm sure Carlisle has already started researching to see if you're technically even human now by medical standards, or if you're really some other supernatural species entirely. You could be some kind of vampire/human hybrid now, who only appears to be human."

Carlisle's eyes widened in shock and fear, and I realized he _hadn't_ done the kind of studies he should have. He'd been too trusting of the witch, despite Jasper's suspicions. Jasper looked at me with respect, giving me a small smile._ I have a feeling he expressed similar concerns, at the time and afterward, but nobody listened. Too bad. They should've trusted him and his instincts. I would have._

"Come inside and let's sit down while we discuss everything," Esme suggested, shifting her weight. I could tell she was getting tired. _Welcome to my world_, I thought.

We followed her into the living room, and I took a seat in the easy chair, not wanting Edward sitting beside me. I was physically and emotionally exhausted.

It had been one hell of a day. I nearly drowned after jumping off a cliff, narrowly missing being captured by Victoria, found out one of my father's best friends died of a heart attack, then came home to find out my former vampire soul mate had become human and severed our bond, admitting he'd deliberately said the most damaging words he could think of to break me before he left to make it easier for him to walk away. Add to that finding out a witch had cursed the majority of the family I love, making them vulnerable and unable to protect themselves, while they have a target on their backs and a price on their heads thanks to the psychotic vampire who's been hunting me for the past few weeks. Finally, after discovering I no longer have feelings for the guy I thought was my soul mate, the only other guy I had ever considered building a life with, because he promised he had more than enough love for the both of us, just found_ his_ supernatural soul mate, immediately rendering any feelings he had for me irrelevant.

_More promises broken. __What an eventful eight hours it's been, _I thought, wondering how I was still lucid. _It's a miracle I haven't had a nervous breakdown yet. On the bright side, at least I'm not drowning in unimaginable emotional pain any more, and the family I love and want to join, but thought I'd never see again courtesy of my back-stabbing ex-boyfriend, is now back in my life. There, that's a good start on counting my blessings . . ._

**xxxxxxx**

**AN: **Thanks so much for your feedback! It has definitely worked to inspire me - I've even already started on the next chapter! :)


	4. Revelations

**Revelations**

Edward joined Carlisle and Esme on the couch, while Jacob and Alice took the loveseat. Jasper sat on the floor next to me.

Edward frowned, jealousy written all over his countenance. "You shouldn't be so close to Bella, Jasper," he announced waspishly. "You might lose control again."

I was instantly offended on Jasper's behalf. I'd had a lot of time to contemplate what happened on my birthday and think about what was different between that day and when I was bleeding on the floor of the ballet studio. I'd realized the only real difference was the absence of two vampires. That had made me wonder how the absence of Rose and Esme could possibly affect Jasper's control. The answer hadn't been difficult to find. In fact, it was quite obvious the more I thought about it. I knew why Jasper had the hardest time of all the family, and after _fifty_ years, it wasn't because he was 'new' to the diet, like Edward had claimed.

Carlisle intervened before I could put in my two cents worth. "Now, Edward, you know Jasper has found his control to be infinitely better than it used to be. He hasn't had any difficulty being around all of us, even though most of the family is human now."

"Of course not," I declared. "Carlisle hardly ever feels any bloodlust, so Jasper only has to deal with his own thirst, instead of carrying the weight of everyone else's like he used to do."

All eyes were on me. "What do you mean?" Esme asked, her eyes wide, her hand up around her throat.

"Well, he's an empath, right? So obviously he felt everyone else's bloodlust on top of his own whenever he was around you guys. Since animal blood doesn't really quench the thirst like human blood does, you were always thirsty. That had to be a heavy burden for him to carry. Now that he only has his own and the miniscule amount Carlisle emits, it has to be a piece of cake for him," I explained with a shrug.

"No way!" Edward sneered. "Did he tell you that load of malarkey? He's just trying to push the blame for his slips onto the rest of us, so he doesn't appear weak."

"Jasper?" Carlisle questioned, ignoring Edward. "Is she correct? Have you felt our thirst all these years?"

Jasper appeared thoughtful. He slowly nodded. "Yes, I've always felt the thirst of others. In the wars, it wasn't so bad, because we kept everyone well fed. If someone were starved as a punishment, I made sure I compensated by feeding more often myself. Here it was difficult because, like Bella said, nobody ever felt sated. The thirst was never quenched for myself or anyone else. I tried to feed often enough to overcome it. I never really thought about it though, because it's always been with me. I know when I was traveling by myself, in the years before I met Alice I often went several months in between feedings. The day I met Alice I hadn't fed for over a month, yet I was able to walk into a diner full of people without worrying about hurting any of them or losing control of myself."

"Oh, yeah, that's right," Alice mused. "I knew you hadn't fed for over a month, yet there was no danger. You didn't go in there with the intent to feed, only to get out of the rain. I wonder why it never occurred to me to question why there was such a difference in your control from then to when we joined the Cullens. I guess I just assumed it was because of the animal blood, but that really wouldn't explain it, would it? After all, it takes an incredible amount of control to change people instead of draining them dry, or else everyone would do it, yet you changed thousands to fight in the wars."

Jacob looked over at Jasper, startled and incredulous. His hands started to shake, but luckily Alice distracted him by taking his hand in hers, which immediately calmed him down.

Edward's face fell, remembering the story Alice had often told of how she and Jasper met. "But that would mean your control was better than mine. Better than all of ours, except maybe Carlisle's. I remember how much harder it was for me to hear one of you thinking thirsty thoughts. It made my own so much worse. At least you guys made an effort not to think about it. I can't imagine if I was bombarded by everybody thinking that all the time. I'd probably have lost it a lot more often than you did."

I scoffed, remembering Edward's superior attitude. "You always thought you were so controlled because you could get close to your singer. Yet Jasper had to deal with all of _your_ thirst for me, as well as the rest of the family's, every time I came here. He didn't even lose it the night of my birthday until you threw me into the table full of glass plates, which ripped open my arm. Every single one of you other than Carlisle felt the thirst so strongly you couldn't stay in the room with me. It's no wonder he snapped."

"That's true," Carlisle agreed, sending Jasper a proud smile. Jasper grinned and ducked his head.

"Not to mention, with Jasper's history, he could've gotten to Bella if he really wanted to that night. He _let _Emmett and Rose pull him out of the room. He didn't hurt them or use his gift on them, which he easily could have," Alice added.

Edward, Carlisle, and Esme all looked at her in realization.

"She's right!" Esme exclaimed. "He could've taken us all out to get to her if he really wanted, but he chose to leave instead. He was much more in control, even then, than anyone gave him credit for - anyone other than Bella that is. I remember she forgave him right away. She understood when the rest of us didn't."

Edward hung his head in shame, pouting. Esme smacked the back of his head, her tone reproachful. "Edward! _You_ caused all the trouble, yet you've been blaming Jasper! _You _were the one who lost control that night, not him. You shoved her to get her away from _yourself_, didn't you?"

"Yes," he whispered. "I smelled her blood when she got that paper-cut, and I wanted to taste it so badly. I was afraid I'd hurt her, so I pushed her away, but that only made it worse. Jasper's attempt to attack shocked me out of my own bloodlust haze, propelling me into protection mode. I never realized _my_ bloodlust was what triggered his."

Giving into temptation, I reached over and brushed my hand over Jasper's wheat-colored curls. They were even softer than they looked. He grinned up at me, his golden eyes glinting with happiness. I peeked over at the couch and relaxed when I realized Edward was too absorbed with his own misery to notice our exchange. Carlisle hadn't missed it though, and his brows furrowed with concern. His eyes rapidly swept from Edward over to Alice and back to us again.

"My bond with Edward is completely broken now," I whispered under my breath, not wanting the humans, specifically Edward to hear me, fearing he might try to argue. "It was obliterated as soon as he told me he deliberately destroyed my self-esteem and sent me into a catatonic depression simply to force me to let him go without a fight, merely because he was too afraid to allow me to become a vampire. He wanted marriage, old age, children and grandchildren for me, Carlisle, but none of those are things I ever wanted for myself. He chose to break the bond, to walk away, rather than embracing the love we could have had."

Carlisle slowly nodded, but he looked disturbed. He gazed down at Esme apprehensively and tightened his fingers on her shoulder slightly, pulling her a little bit closer. Jacob was staring at me worriedly, but was distracted by Alice leaning against him, seeking comfort. When he looked up again, I was relieved to see a modicum of understanding in his eyes and was glad Jasper had shared my pain with everyone, however briefly. Esme was murmuring quietly with Edward, their heads close together.

I knew what was bothering Carlisle and decided to address it, still too quietly for the other humans to hear. "You're worried about your bond with Esme, how it was affected by the transformation, aren't you?"

He nodded once, very slightly. Jasper responded, murmuring just barely loud enough for me to hear, his lips hardly even moving. "It's true your bond was endangered once she became human. It was so much smaller on her side than it had been, but it got stronger after she felt your love earlier. Now it's even stronger than Bella's bond used to be. Your side is just as strong as it's always been, but it will weaken if you go through the transformation too. You'll lose the supernatural aspect of it. Rose and Emmett still have a love bond, but it's more like a nylon rope than the steel cable it used to be."

Carlisle must have said something I didn't hear, because I saw Jasper minutely shake his head.

"I can't see bonds but I can feel them. Mates have a special, distinctive love for one another, and I can sense it's depth with my gift. Perhaps a more accurate analogy would be that their love is as deep as a lake, when it used to have the depth of the ocean," Jasper discreetly responded.

Carlisle raised his eyebrows and frowned. Jake was watching the exchange curiously.

"I'm sorry, Jasper," Edward apologized, oblivious to the conversation we'd been having. He then looked at me and smiled. "At least I no longer have to worry about Bella's blood making me thirsty anymore. You're no longer in danger, Bella! Isn't that wonderful?"

I scoffed, rolling my eyes. "Are you utterly delusional, Edward, or has humanity destroyed your brain power?"

"Bella!" Esme scolded, shaking her finger at me. "That's mean!"

I rolled my eyes again. "Sorry, Esme. It's just I already told Edward how_ much _DANGER I'm in, and so are all of you, which is why I'm here – to warn you."

Jasper's relaxation disappeared, and he sat up straight. "What is it? What's happened?"

"Victoria was James's mate. She wants revenge on all of us for her loss," I informed them. "Now that most of you are humans, you're sitting ducks, like me. The only reason I'm still alive is the pack. They already killed Laurent when he tried to eat me, and they've been keeping Victoria from getting to Charlie and me."

"We need to run and hide, somewhere she can't find us!" Edward exclaimed, shivering in fear.

_I knew it!_ I mentally paid myself, having won the bet on his first reaction. _Fucking coward! . . ._ _Damn, Bella. Bitter much?_ I sighed, not proud of my thoughts. I knew it was a reaction to the way he deliberately hurt me before he ran away from our future and everything it represented. I hadn't had enough time to process his confession and all the feelings it brought out in me.

Jasper shot me a look, having picked up on my emotions.

"I'm not going anywhere. I have protection here," I calmly replied. "If the rest of you choose to run, you're on your own."

"We need to warn Rose and Emmett!" Esme gasped. "They should go stay with the Denali's!"

"Just so you know, Laurent was working for Victoria before the wolves killed him, so you can expect Victoria to know everything the Denali's knew about you guys – your gifts, your properties, your usual aliases, your allies," I added.

"I _told_ you she was his mate!" Jasper roared, clenching his fists, his black eyes flashing. "I _told_ you we needed to go after her and take her out before she gathered allies and came back against us. You didn't listen! Edward said he didn't hear anything in her thoughts to confirm what I said, and you listened to_ him_ instead! Well, obviously he was _wrong_! _Why_ would you take the word of an inexperienced child over a proven war veteran?! Carlisle, your avoidance of conflict is going to get your whole family killed!"

_Wow, angry, confident Jasper is hot!_ I realized, then blushed at the direction my thoughts had suddenly taken.

Edward looked offended by Jasper's words, but Carlisle was chagrined.

"I'm sorry, Jasper. You're right," Carlisle confessed. He met Jasper's dark gaze. "You're in charge for the time being. We'll do whatever you deem necessary. Just, _please_, help me protect our family." Jasper nodded once, sharply, in acknowledgment.

"What?!" Edward protested, swinging around to glare at Carlisle over Esme's head. "You can't . . ."

"Shut _up_, Edward!" I interrupted harshly. "You're a _liability_ now, not an asset, got that? So you don't have any say _at all_ in what happens next. You're human now, weak and easily killed. You can't even read minds anymore. You've got _nothing_ to offer, so keep your trap shut and do what you're told! This is what you _wanted_, remember? To be a mouse in a world full of cats and snakes. You're not the predator anymore, you're the _prey_."

Edward's mouth dropped open as he stared at me incredulously, while Esme trembled in fear, realizing my little speech applied to her too. There was nothing she could do to protect herself or any of her children.

"Wow. That was harsh," Alice murmured, looking at me in surprise. "Thank goodness I've got Jacob."

"Speaking of which, I really need to phase and inform the rest of the pack about all of this," Jacob declared, rubbing his face with his hand. "They're not going to believe it. _I_ wouldn't believe it if I wasn't seeing it with my own eyes. This isn't good timing either, what with Harry's death and his children's change. I don't know what they're going to think about the whole 'cure' thing. It kind of turns everything on its head, you know? Especially with me imprinting on a former leech." He stood up and shrugged, then took off outside to phase.

**xxxxxxx**

What do you think? Too harsh or not harsh enough?


	5. Teaching New Dogs Old Tricks

**AN:** A sincere thank you to everyone who reviewed! Your positive response blew me away, and here's the result:

**Teaching New Dogs Old Tricks**

_Wait, did he just say 'his children's change'? As in Seth and Leah?_ I thought, flabbergasted. _Harry doesn't have any other children, does he? But Seth's too young and Leah's a girl!_

"Bella, you said the wolves killed Laurent? Did they burn him?" Jasper asked, grabbing my attention. I looked down into his dark orbs and felt mesmerized. "Bella! Focus!"

His growled words jolted me into awareness. I tore my eyes away and blushed fiercely. "Sorry," I muttered, too embarrassed to look at him while I answered his question. "Yes, they tore him apart and burned him, then scattered the ashes. They knew from their legends that a vampire can put itself back together if you don't burn the pieces."

Jasper nodded in acknowledgment, his thoughts busy strategizing. Edward stared at me with hurt, watery eyes, sniffling. "Why are you being so mean to me, Bella?" he whined, rubbing his nose on his sleeve. "You're supposed to love me!"

I raised an eyebrow at him. "Really, Edward? I was catatonic for _months_ after the things you said when you left me. My father was going to have me _institutionalized_! Then I started having auditory _hallucinations_ of you brought on by reckless behavior and began _deliberately_ endangering my life just so I could hear _your_ voice in my head! _I_ wasn't the one whose love wasn't_ strong_ enough, Edward. _You_ were. The supernatural bond holding us together broke when you became human. Let me guess, that was mid-January?"

Edward nodded, looking confused.

I nodded grimly, ignoring the concerned looks from the others. "That's when I started waking up and regained enough of myself to be able to function in society again. The pain didn't go away though, until you confessed you'd lied to me and left to keep from changing me into a vampire, refusing to allow us to have eternity together. The reasons you gave for walking away proved you didn't really want _me._"

Edward tried to interrupt, to protest, but I held up my hand to stop him. "You _thought_ you wanted me, but you only wanted the _idea_ of me. You wanted me not as I _am_, but as you thought I _should_ be. You wanted to force your ideals on me and mold me into the kind of woman you grew up around. You want someone who'll be content to be your wife and the mother of your children, allowing you to make all the decisions for the family, always deferring to you, and not having an identity of her own outside of you. That is NOT me. When you were a vampire, you frequently used your allure to dazzle me into letting you have your way whenever I disagreed with you. That's one of the reasons I was so insistent on us becoming equals."

"We're equals now! We're both human!" Edward desperately declared, looking at me beseechingly.

I gave him a dark look in reply. "Yes, that's true. I wanted us to be equals, so I could stand up for myself against you - so I could make my feelings, wants, and desires known, and you'd have to listen, instead of just forcing me to submit to you by clouding my thought processes with your hypnotic eyes and your sweet breath."

The Cullens gasped, and Esme cried, "Edward! How could you do that to your mate?"

Jasper growled, and Carlisle was grim. "I'm sorry, Bella," Carlisle apologized. "If I'd realized he was doing that, I would have put a stop to it."

I snorted. "He wasn't the only one. Alice used to do it too, so she could use me as her own personal Barbie doll. She knew how much I hated it, so she'd dazzle me into agreeing. She wouldn't take 'no' for an answer. We always had to do whatever _she_ wanted, never what _I_ wanted."

Jasper and Carlisle glared at her, causing her to whimper and flinch back into the sofa cushions, drawing her knees up to her chest and wrapping her arms around them.

"But you always had fun and liked the end result," Alice defended in a small voice.

I rolled my eyes, retorting, "Yes, because you turned my brain to pea soup and put me into la-la land, where everything Alice wanted was hunky-dory. It took away my free will and essentially made me your willing slave, eager to please you and earn your approval."

"Oh," she murmured, looking down. "I didn't realize it worked that way. Sorry."

Jasper looked at me, his eyes full of apology. "That's a hunting mechanism used to get prey to come quietly or to confuse accidental witnesses of exposure, explaining away whatever they saw as something rational and normal instead. The only time it should've been used on you was immediately after the van incident, altering your short term memory of what you'd just seen Edward do. However, Edward chose not to, for selfish reasons, wanting you to know he was different, special. By the time you arrived at the hospital, everything you'd seen had already been written into your long term memory, which is much harder to erase, so there was nothing Carlisle could do to correct it. At that point, any other coven would've killed you to protect the secret, as our laws demand, but Carlisle forbade it. I intended to overrule him, since our entire family could be executed for allowing you to live, but Alice promised you would keep the secret and would be one of us someday, so I chose to bide my time. Once you proved yourself trustworthy and became an invited guest in our home, it was rude and severely inappropriate for any of us to use it on you."

I smiled down at him and nodded appreciatively. "I agree."

"As do I," Carlisle and Esme said at the same time, then turned and smiled into each other's eyes in amusement for being in perfect harmony.

Jacob came bounding back in just then, looking flustered. "Uh, Alice? Would you mind coming back to the reservation with me? Sam and the elders want to meet you, and I'm really not comfortable leaving you here when I know you're in danger. I need to have you close so I know you're safe, or my instincts will drive me crazy."

"Sure, Jakey, let me just go pack a bag," Alice agreed, hopping up and hurrying over to the stairs. Jake stared after her, as if she'd lost her marbles, mouthing the word 'Jakey?'

Jasper snorted, and Carlisle tried to hide his smirk. _Well, it's no worse than 'Jazzy'_, I thought with a smile. _Just wait until Quil and Embry hear it. He'll never live it down._

"Hey, Jake, did I hear you right before? Did you say Seth AND Leah phased today?" I asked.

He grimaced, looking at the vampires. "Uh, did I say that?"

I rolled my eyes. "Look, obviously the Cullens are not your enemies anymore. Most of them aren't even vampires still, and the two that are have impeccable control."

He pointed at Jasper, scowling. "Alice said that one changed_ thousands_ of people into voracious bloodsuckers! I'd say that makes him my enemy!"

"They're all dead now too, except the two of them I chose to let go," Jasper growled. He was on his feet in the blink of an eye, several steps in front of me, body arranged in a military stance. The air around him crackled with menace. "I may have killed thousands of humans in my day, but I've killed_ tens_ of thousands of vampires. I decimated whole _armies_ of vampires. You don't want _me_ as an enemy, boy."

_Holy shit! Who is this, and what did he do with Jasper Hale?_ I wondered, feeling a sudden need to fan myself. I hoped I wasn't drooling. _ Damn! Now that's a vampire!_

Jacob flinched and started trembling. _Oh, shit! Don't phase in the house, you idiot! Someone might get hurt!_ I worried.

The shudders stopped as quickly as they started, and Jacob was suddenly sporting a silly grin.

"Calm yourself down, boy! You're frightening the ladies," Jasper commanded, his voice taking on a smooth Southern drawl.

_Where did that accent come from?_ I thought dreamily. _I don't remember hearing it before._

"What did you do to me?" Jacob grunted, swaying slightly, still grinning like a fool.

Jasper smirked, and Jacob suddenly started jumping up and down in place, clapping his hands and squealing with joy. He was strangely reminiscent of Alice, when she found out her favorite designer had just released a new clothing line. A few seconds later he fell to his knees, sobbing inconsolably. That only lasted a matter of seconds too, before he began moaning in ecstasy, palming himself through his pants and thrusting his pelvis. Before I could get too embarrassed by the sight, he was curled up into the fetal position, screaming like a banshee. Edward whimpered, curling up and cowering into Esme.

"Major, please stop!" Alice screamed, racing down the stairs. She stumbled a bit in her hurry, but caught herself with the railing. I noticed she was wearing four inch heels and felt oddly vindicated by her slight clumsiness, remembering how she'd laughed at how ungainly I was whenever she forced me into heels.

"Major?" I asked curiously. Jasper's flashing black eyes promptly landed on me, and Jacob's screams stopped. He lay there panting, while Alice ran over to comfort him. My attention was arrested by Jasper, and I tilted my head invitingly, encouraging him to respond to me. He slowly smirked, not saying a word, then returned his eyes to Jacob's prone form, waiting expectantly.

As soon as he caught his breath enough to speak, Jacob wheezed, "What the hell was that?" His eyes were full of fear as he looked up at the vampire watching him confidently.

"_That_, boy, was just a little taste of my gift. I can easily incapacitate you and your entire pack without ever laying a hand on you. I don't even have to be close enough for you to _smell_ me. I can do it from miles away, then stroll through your midst while you writhe on the ground at my mercy and end you at my leisure," Jasper calmly and coldly informed him.

"Oh, this is all my fault!" Alice cried.

"What? No! Why?" Jake protested, confused by her outburst. Frankly, I was too. _I'm pretty sure it was all Jake's fault. He was the one copping an attitude with Jasper._

"He hasn't reverted to the Major since we met in the diner all those years ago. Now that I left him, he's regressed," she wailed, covering her face with her hands.

_She thinks he's regressed? Frankly, I'm impressed. I'd much rather have this hunk of a man than the shy quiet yuppie boy he portrayed before, _I thought, feeling indignant on Jasper's behalf.

"Oh, no! He'll kill us all!" Edward shrieked, trying to hide behind Esme. "He's a human drinker! An animal! An out of control monster who slaughters innocents by the dozens!"

_Really?_ I thought, looking at Edward in disgust, and noted Carlisle doing the same. _Does he even listen to himself? Because that's a whole lot of stupid coming out of his mouth right now. Carlisle doesn't look particularly concerned about whatever's going on with Jasper, so I don't think the rest of us need to be worried. He'd definitely be up in arms if he felt like his mate was in immediate danger._

Jasper rolled his eyes and sighed. "I haven't_ regressed_, little girl. Major is the title by which my troops addressed me, but my _family_ calls me Jasper. And even though I have released my inner vampire and am no longer presenting a human facade, I am still in complete control of myself, little boy. Unlike _you_ who is cowering behind your mommy to shield yourself, hoping I'll eat her first. For your information, I would never attack or harm Esme, and if I wanted to eat _you_, there's nothing anyone could do to stop me. I am operating on instinct in full vampire mode right now because my family is in danger from a known threat and in need of my protection. So do please try to show a little common sense and self-restraint, children."

Edward ducked his head in shame, more red-faced than I had ever been. Once again, I felt a mild victory in seeing him blush so heavily instead of me. Alice stared at Jasper blankly, brows furrowed in confusion. I raised an eyebrow. _What's so hard to understand? It made sense to me_, I thought. _He must've been a Major in the army, and obviously he's perfectly in control. _

"The Major?" Jacob squeaked, eyes as wide as saucers. "Holy shit! I've heard of you! Diablo - The Demon of the South!"

Jasper smiled at him enigmatically. "Indeed, that_ is_ what my enemies call me. They speak it in hushed whispers, huddled together, terrified I might overhear. Aren't you glad your tribe has a treaty with my family, pup?"

Jacob nodded frantically, his eyes darting over to Carlisle and back. "Y-yeah, we're a-allies, r-right? The treaty! We have a treaty!"

_Okay, now I'm really curious! Jasper better give me some answers soon_, I thought, narrowing my eyes in his direction. He looked over his shoulder at me and tossed me a quick wink before turning back around to face everyone else. I felt butterflies in my stomach and bit my lip nervously. _Why am I feeling like this? I can't be falling for him already! What if he doesn't feel the same way?_

"That's right, we do have a treaty, thanks to good old Carlisle here. You go on ahead and let your pack and your elders know who you're dealing with on this side of the line, and make sure you show me and my family the proper respect from now on, boy," Jasper drawled. "I'd hate to have to annihilate your entire tribe simply because you don't have any manners."

"Yeah, uh, yes, sir!" Jacob quickly agreed, groaning as he slowly got to his feet, his muscles aching from being so tense.

"I'll be right back!" Alice declared, hurrying upstairs to finish packing.

"I think I'll come help you," Jacob decided, with a fearful look at Jasper. He was right on her heels the whole way up the stairs.

**xxxxxxx**

**AN:** So, what did you think of the way Major Whitlock handled Jacob? Think the wolves will show a little more respect?


	6. Breaking Up is Hard to Do

**Breaking Up is Hard to Do**

Jasper smirked and moved back behind me, standing casually between the stairs and the rest of us. I was glad he had our backs, but I seriously doubted Jacob would be stupid enough to try anything else tonight.

"I'm sorry for dazzling you before, Bella," Edward murmured. "And for the hurtful things I said when we left. Can you ever forgive me?"

I thought about it for a minute, then shrugged, realizing there was no more pain associated with him in my mind. I had already moved on, writing him off as an immature idiot. He'd ruined the best thing that ever happened to him, because he couldn't accept and love himself, much less anybody else. "Yeah, I guess, but if you ever deliberately hurt or deceive me again, I'll kill you."

He startled at my threat, but then wrote it off as a figure of speech. I stared at him matter-of-factly, awaiting his response. _Yeah, I wasn't kidding, Eddie boy_._ You might just be my first meal after I become a vampire._

He beamed at me, declaring. "Never again, I promise!"

He looked a little too happy for my comfort, so I figured I'd better clarify. "That doesn't mean I'll take you back. I don't want you anymore."

His expression was crestfallen. "You don't . . . want . . . me?"

I tried to repress the fierce triumph I felt at hearing him say those words in that tone of voice. I'm pretty sure I succeeded in keeping it from showing on my face, at least as far as human eyes could detect, though I knew Jasper would feel it. "You're human now. Time heals all wounds for our kind, remember? Oh, that's right you can't - your memory is no more than a_ sieve._"

I saw the sudden gleam of recognition in his eyes, and gloried in his subsequent flinching. "Of course, I'll always love you . . . in a _way, _but I won't pretend to be something I'm not, Edward. You're not good for me. I won't come back to you. You can go on with your life without any interference from me, as if our previous relationship _never existed_."

He gasped, putting his hand over his mouth to hide a sob.

"I feel your recognition, Edward," Jasper challenged, his expression forbidding. "Are those the things you said to her when you left her?"

Edward winced and hesitantly nodded.

"What an asshole," Jasper muttered under his breath, placing a comforting hand on my shoulder. I enjoyed the feel of it there, even though I wasn't truly upset. It was a nice show of support.

"I'm very disappointed in you, Edward," Carlisle growled. "You told us you had a mature discussion with her and mutually agreed to part! Did you give her the letters we had written to her to say goodbye?"

Chagrined, Edward shook his head, too ashamed to look in Carlisle's direction. "I burned them," he admitted in a whisper.

_He burned them? That rat bastard! How dare he burn the letters my family had written to me?!_ I mentally raged.

"We trusted you!" Carlisle roared angrily, before I could express my thoughts. "You lied to all of us! If I'd known how poorly you were going to handle things, I would have stopped you. You could have still left, if you wanted, but the rest of us would have stayed to comfort Bella and help her deal with the pain of losing her mate."

"Oh, Bella! We thought you understood! We sent you letters telling you of our love and giving you contact information if you needed any of us or wanted to keep in touch," Esme declared. "Edward obviously hurt you badly, but I can't imagine how you must've felt, what you must've thought, when the rest of us disappeared seemingly without a word. You must have felt so alone and unloved, abandoned by your family as if you didn't even matter to us at all!"

"That's exactly how I felt," I confessed, relieved to know the people I love had tried to say goodbye after all and even tried to stay in touch. None of us had been aware of the depths of deception Edward was willing to plumb. "I felt like I had been a pet or a toy, used and broken, then discarded like trash."

Jasper sent me a pleasant dose of emotions, easing the pain of the memory. "You were never a pet or a toy, Isabella," Jasper growled. "You were and are a member of this family, every bit as important to us as any other member."

"He's right," Carlisle agreed, and Esme nodded. "We were deeply saddened by what we thought was your decision not to maintain contact, but we wanted to honor the request for space Edward told us you'd issued, and we always hoped you'd soon change your mind and call or write."

"We didn't know mate bonds could be broken, so we assumed you and Edward would be reunited once you graduated, if not before. He told us you wanted time to build memories with your dad. We knew you'd be going away to college next year anyway, which would be the perfect time to start distancing yourself before disappearing, so it made sense to us," Esme added, smiling tremulously. "We love you, sweetie, and we always planned to return to you whenever you were ready."

I sighed, "I love you too, all of you. Even Rosalie." _Well, except for Edward, of course, but I'll tolerate him for Esme's sake. Maybe we can even be friends someday after he grows up a little._

"How?" Edward asked, lifting his head to stare at me in confusion. "She was always mean to you!"

_He never understood the depth of my emotions, for him or anybody else_. I sighed. "Don't all big sisters act like that with their little sisters at some stage of their relationship?"

Nobody answered, but I saw understanding in Carlisle's and Esme's eyes. Edward had his brows furrowed as he thought about my question.

"Edward, I don't feel a pull to you anymore. If you take a minute to stop and think, you'll realize you're not drawn to me anymore either. We have little in common, and I don't share your hopes and dreams for the future, so we could never work as a human couple. I'm sorry, but it's well and truly over, so you need to let go and focus your attention on finding someone else."

"But we're meant to be," Edward insisted in a broken voice. "I stopped drinking from you! It should've been impossible, but I loved you enough to stop!"

"If you really loved me, you would've let the venom spread and added your own, so you could've had me forever," I retorted. "You had the perfect cover story already in place. A fatal car accident on the way to Phoenix. Charlie never would've connected it to you. Three days of pain leading to perfect health and eternal love. Instead, I had to deal with _weeks_ of pain and discomfort from all my injuries."

Edward shook his head in disagreement and opened his mouth to argue his point.

"Edward, you were actually lost to your bloodlust when you were sucking out James's venom. I could tell you weren't going to stop. It was almost too late, and Carlisle's faith in you blinded him to the knowledge you were out of control. He fully believed you would stop because she was your mate, but you were past the point of reason, unaware of anything but the sweetness of the blood flowing over your tongue and quenching your thirst. So I helped you," Jasper interjected. "I sent you alertness, protectiveness, restraint, hope, and love. It knocked you out of the haze and gave you the strength to pull away. Yes, in that moment you loved her enough to stop, but that love didn't come from _your_ heart, it came from mine. It was my love for Alice welling up inside you that saved Bella's life."

"So _you_ saved Bella that day," Edward whispered, staring at Jasper. "Not me? It was _your_ love, not mine?"

Jasper nodded, holding his gaze. "Though, I'd say it was a truly a group effort. Everyone played a role in finding her, killing James, and keeping her alive."

"Oh," Edward mumbled. "That changes things." He brought his hands up to his head and tugged on his hair, tormented by all the thoughts chasing themselves through his brain, re-evaluating his memories and his perspective on himself and others.

Jacob came back downstairs, carrying two large suitcases. Alice scurried down after him, carrying a purse and a make-up case.

Carlisle got up and approached Jacob, while Alice gave goodbye hugs to Esme, Edward, and me.

"I'm trusting you to protect my daughter with your life, Jacob. If any harm comes to her from your fellow tribe members, we will consider that a declaration of war," Carlisle warned him. Jasper joined Carlisle in the blink of an eye, lending his support to Carlisle's words.

Jacob gulped and nodded. "Yes, sir, I will. She's my entire world now."

"Carlisle and I will meet with you and your Alpha tomorrow morning, Jacob," Jasper announced. "I will be running a reconnaissance mission tonight and will develop a strategy based upon whatever I find."

"The pack can handle the redhead just fine without your help!" Jacob insisted. Then, realizing his tone of voice, gulped and added, "With all due respect, sir."

Jasper raised an eyebrow and calmly countered, "If you could handle her, you would have already, and she would no longer be a threat."

Jacob grimaced and sighed, "Fine, I'll let Sam know you want to meet."

Alice waved to Carlisle and Jasper, murmuring a soft good night and a promise to call tomorrow morning. She led Jacob to the garage, where he gave a shout of appreciation loud enough to be heard all the way inside.

I raised my eyebrow at the sound, curious, since I didn't remember Alice having a car previously. She'd simply always ridden with one of the others, as had Jasper.

Jasper grinned and answered my unspoken question. "Rose gave her the convertible."

"Oh, sweet," I replied, returning his grin. "That explains Jacob's excitement alright."

I stood up and stretched, feeling my eyes droop. "I think this is a good time for me to leave too," I announced. "I'm bushed. We can discuss strategy or whatever some more tomorrow."

"I'll escort you home," Jasper offered. Edward looked like he intended to protest, but Jasper continued before he could. "I want to see if I pick up any vampire scents around your house or the surrounding area."

_Oh, goody! Time to get some answers!_ I thought eagerly.

"Oh, okay, sure. In that case, you can drive," I decided. "I'm having a hard time keeping my eyes open."

I handed him the keys, which he accepted gracefully.

"Humph! She never offered to let _me_ drive her truck," Edward muttered, crossing his arms over his chest and pouting.

"That's because you drive like a maniac," I shot back with a smirk. He rolled his eyes and chose not to respond. _Hmm, he's learning._

I gave Carlisle and Esme hugs goodbye, waved awkwardly at Edward, and followed Jasper outside.

**xxxxxxx**

**AN:** What'd you think of Bella turning Edward's words back on him? Looks like he may finally be getting a clue.

And now Bella will have a little time alone with Jasper on the way back to her house . . .

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References:

Underlined phrases were quoted from New Moon by Stephenie Meyer pgs 69-71


	7. Jasper's Story

**AN:** I've decided to use a more canon background for Jasper than we usually see in fanfictions these days, as that means less trauma and angst for his character. However, I've added bits and pieces of my own to fill in the gaps left by Meyer. Also, **Meyer's Peter didn't have a gift at all**. The gift most often associated with Peter is the brainchild of another fanfic author, so I decided to do something different.

I think this new gift has the potential to generate a plethora of hilarious story possibilities that I'd love to read, so **I'm offering up this gift idea free and clear for anyone else to use in their own stories without needing to credit me for it. **

It's also a good match for the snarky, fun-loving Peter we've all grown to know and love, thanks to the multitude of talented fanfic authors who've developed his character and personality in their stories.

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**Jasper's Gift**

"So you fought in an army?" I asked, looking over at Jasper curiously.

He gave me an odd look. "What did Edward tell you about me?"

I shrugged. "Barely anything. All he said was that you had difficulty with your control because you were the newest of the family to the vegetarian diet, which we already discussed, and that you had a different upbringing from the rest of them."

"That's it?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. I nodded.

"Wow, that really is the bare minimum," he chuckled.

He told me what he remembered about his human life, earning the rank of Major in the Confederate Army, and how that led to his change by Maria. He explained that Maria's goal was to reclaim her land and exact vengeance for the deaths of her mate and two older vampires who were her 'parents'. Maria grew fond of Jasper, however she never treated him as an equal or thought of him as a mate. She never forgot her deceased mate or moved on (1). He told me that was the nature of vampires upon losing their mates, as I was seeing with Victoria.

Jasper revealed the fate of newborns after their first year, describing how it made him feel to execute them. "After forty years of it, I'd distanced myself, cutting off my emotions as much as I could. I was becoming a robotic killing machine, devoid of compassion or any other positive emotions. I was unbeatable. I always won, no matter the odds. That's when the other warlords began calling me Diablo. Rumors started to spread about me, some true, most exaggerated or completely false. Maria delighted in them, as it scared many away from challenging us.

She furthered the rumors, taking the falsehoods to the next level, adding wild stories of my supposed depravity. I became known as the Demon of the South, whispered about around the globe, the bogeyman of the vampire world. All kinds of outrageous atrocities were attributed to me, though none were true. For example, it's generally believed that my meal of choice is pregnant women, drinking them dry, then ripping their babies out of their bellies to drain for dessert."

He paused and looked deeply into my eyes, his voice deadly serious. "Honestly, I've never fed from women or children, not even as an out of control newborn. That's probably what stopped me from fighting the others to get to you on your birthday, despite being hit with the combined bloodlust of all of them, including Edward's intense thirst. Even in hunting mode, operating on pure instinct, I knew you weren't supposed to be prey. It goes against my core beliefs, instilled within me by my ma and pa from the day I was born. In my day, women and children were to be treasured and protected above all else. They were a man's reason for living, for fighting, and even for dying, if it came down to it."

"I believe you," I affirmed, nervous because his eyes had stayed on me, even though he was still driving. "But I'd still feel better if you watched the road."

He chuckled, turning to face the front again and continued, "Maria was my only ally, the only one I allowed myself to care about, because nobody else survived more than a year. Honestly, though, most of them didn't even last six months. Then Peter came along. He was different, got under my skin. He was intelligent and an excellent fighter, but had an oddly peaceful, easygoing nature. Despite my intention to remain impassive and apathetic toward him, when his year was up, I found myself unable to kill him. To my surprise, I not only liked him, but I felt . . . averse to destroying him (2). I was even more amazed when Maria agreed to let me keep him around," he informed me. "The first one in forty years to be allowed to survive, and he didn't even possess a useful gift like I did."

I smiled at him. "So you finally had a friend?"

He grinned, "More like an annoying younger brother, though he was 26 when I changed him, so _he_ thinks of _himself_ as the older brother. You see, we later figured out Peter actually _did_ have a gift, though that's privileged information. Only a small handful of people we consider trustworthy are aware of it, so don't tell anyone, okay?"

I laughed. "Who am I going to tell?"

"Well, of the Cullens, only Carlisle and Alice know," he admitted. "And hopefully Alice has forgotten since her transformation. As far as everyone else is concerned, he doesn't have one. They just think he's really likeable."

"Oh!" I murmured, surprised and flattered that he was willing to tell me. "So what is his gift?"

Jasper chuckled. "People don't want to kill him. I didn't figure it out at first, but the fact that both Maria and I decided to keep him around should have given me a clue. I mean, between the two of us, Maria and I killed_ everyone_, friend and foe alike. Peter's gift is actually quite useful in battle too, because the other soldiers tried to avoid him, or if engaged in combat, would only fight halfheartedly against him. He had no difficulty ending his opponents, because they found themselves unwilling to deal him a death blow. They would defend themselves to the best of their ability, but wouldn't strike back. At first, we just thought it was skill and natural aptitude on his part, but as his gift grew stronger, we started to notice the pattern. Maria never did figure it out though, and we chose not to enlighten her."

"Wow, that's a pretty handy gift to have!" I declared, thinking I'd like to have that one myself.

Jasper nodded. "Yes, but it makes you the perfect soldier and executioner, and Peter hated all the fighting and killing, which is why we don't want anyone to know about his gift. Someone might threaten his mate to force him to work for them. With Maria, his job was taking care of the newborns. It was perfect for him, because newborns will usually attack anyone and everyone, but his gift overruled their natural instincts. He's got lots of scars, but none around his neck, save his sire mark, because nobody ever went for his throat, even in the heat of battle."

"Sire mark?" I asked.

"I was his sire and injected venom into his jugular to change him, which left a mark like the one you have from James. It's the only bite he ever received above the shoulders. His friendship and camaraderie kept me going for nearly forty more years, until his mate came along. It's funny, because I knew he was behaving strangely that year, but I was clueless about mates, so I had no idea what his problem was. Maria kept me ignorant of so many important things in an attempt to control me. She didn't allow mates in her army, instantly killing anyone who started developing a bond, so I didn't know what a mating connection felt like. Peter hid their bond, even from me, to protect Charlotte from Maria. Even so, when Charlotte was a year old, Maria ordered her executed, just like all the other newborns whose strength was waning."

He pulled into my driveway and turned off the engine, but I didn't make a move to get out of the truck, caught up in his story.

"They ran away then, and I let them go. Maria was irritated that Peter left, but thanks to his gift, she didn't order me to pursue him. After that, I became seriously depressed. I had felt the love between Peter and Charlotte the day they ran, and I wanted something like that for myself. I hated all the negative emotions constantly draining me, and I no longer had Peter to relieve the monotony with his jokes and shenanigans. The more melancholy I became, the more Maria began to distrust me. Five years after Peter left, the situation had deteriorated to the point she and I were actively plotting each other's demise."

"Oh, no! What happened?" I quizzed. "Did you kill her?"

He shook his head and smiled. "No, Peter came back for me. Only Peter could stroll into an army camp past twenty newborn soldiers who didn't know him from Adam without fearing for his life. He told me life was different for vampires in the rest of the world. Maria had taught me that conditions were the same everywhere, that there was no choice, no other way to live. Peter warned me that building newborn armies to fight for territory was a crime punishable by death! I didn't even know there _were_ laws for our kind, or that we were ruled by three kings, whose extremely powerful Guard enforces those laws. It's a sire's duty to inform anyone he creates about the Volturi and the laws, but Maria did neither. I walked away with Peter that day and never looked back."

"Did Maria try to come after you?" I inquired, worried she'd tried to retaliate.

I was amazed to learn Maria eventually forgave Jasper for his defection, and considers herself to be on good terms with him (3).

"I'm glad you don't have to worry about watching your back or that your past will come back to haunt you" I murmured.

He shook his head. "You saw Jacob's reaction. My past will always haunt me when people find out who I used to be. The Quileutes will be terrified of incurring my wrath, so they will behave more respectfully, but they will also trust me even less than they did before, when they thought I was just a Cullen."

"I trust you," I quietly declared, looking into his topaz eyes.

He smiled and thanked me, caressing my cheek gently. "You've no idea how wonderful it feels to have you look at me the way you do, without any fear at all. It fills me with hope."

"So what happened after you joined Peter and Charlotte?" I queried, eager to know more about him.

He sighed, dropping his hand and intertwining his fingers with mine on the seat between us. "I was still struggling with depression. I felt their love for one another, all the positive emotions generated from their mate bond, and I felt empty and lonely, especially whenever they were feeling frisky. I frequently got overwhelmed by their lust for one another, but without a partner, I had to handle it on my own. I wanted to find my mate, to experience firsthand the joy and contentment of that connection.

Away from the rage, hatred, and bloodlust of the newborns for the first time in my existence, I found myself slowly regaining bits and pieces of the character and personality I had as a human. I remembered the moral code my ma and pa had instilled within me. Like Peter and Char, I chose to hunt amongst the bottom feeders of human society. I killed murderers, rapists, and child predators, those who deserved to die, but the vile emotions they emitted left me feeling unclean, so I avoided feeding for as long as I could."

"Why not simply change their emotions with your gift?" I wondered. "So you wouldn't have to feel anything you didn't like?"

"Their emotions were often how I picked them out of the crowd," he explained. "Plus, in my mind I was performing acts of justice, and I stubbornly didn't _want_ them to feel good. I wanted them to suffer as they died, just as their victims suffered. However, _I_ paid the cost, absorbing their fear, pain, and hopelessness as I consumed their blood. It began to eat away at my soul. Peter and Char were being hurt by the negative emotions I unintentionally shared with them via my gift, so I decided to travel on my own for a while, hoping to find my mate. I wasn't on my own for long before I found Alice, or rather, she found me."

I nodded understandingly, and he smiled, telling me Peter was thrilled when Jasper found Alice. The foursome traveled together for a while, but Peter and Char didn't want to keep the animal diet, so they branched off on their own when Jasper and Alice decided to join the Cullens. He and Charlotte stayed on good terms with Jasper and all the Cullens though, often visiting with them throughout the years (4).

"Emmett always loves it when Peter comes to stay, because he says and does the most outrageous things, yet he always gets away with it. His gift has gotten strong enough that people not only don't want to kill him, they don't want to harm him either. Char calls his gift a perpetual 'Get Out of Jail Free' card, like in the Monopoly game. People forgive him for things anyone else would be in serious trouble for doing or saying. He likes to push his limits, see how far he can go too, with humans and vampires alike. Then, when the person gets angry enough to retaliate, his gift kicks in - he apologizes,saying he was just joking around, and they simply laugh it off and let it go, every time. It's pretty funny to watch," Jasper shared, his eyes lit up with amusement, remembering previous episodes.

"As I said, his gift is really subtle, so people have no idea why they like him or forgive him so easily, they just do. Even Edward never guessed. He'd hear people decide to attack and then change their mind for no apparent reason. Since the gift is passive, there was nothing in Peter's thoughts to give it away either, and Alice and I were always careful not to think about it around Edward," he added.

I laughed. "On the one hand I want to meet him, but on the other hand, I'm not so sure. Anticipating what he might do to provoke me makes me feel a little anxious."

I shivered suddenly. The cold night air had been gradually seeping into the truck as we sat there, but I had been too distracted by Jasper to notice.

He grinned, a mischievous glint in his eye. "Are you ready to go inside, Miss Bella? I'll walk you to your door."

**xxxxxxx**

**AN: ** Think Bella's ready for a good night kiss, or is it too soon?

.

**If anyone wants to write about a Jasper called Diablo or Demon of the South, or write about a Peter whose gift is a perpetual 'Get Out of Jail Free' card, please do so with my blessing and don't worry about giving me credit. I happily offer these ideas up freely to be developed and added onto by other authors, should anyone feel inclined.** I would love to see what kind of shenanigans you guys could come up with for Peter. :)

I also think Jasper's enemies would be more likely to refer to him in negative terms, calling him devil or demon, than declaring him some kind of god. I'm sure y'all's excellent imaginations can come up with all kinds of rumors to be associated with 'the bogeyman of the vampire world' who has everyone quaking in their boots, including the Volturi.

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Endnotes for underlined passages:

(1) quoted from The Twilight Saga: the official illustrated guide by Stephenie Meyer, pgs 250-251

(2) quoted from Eclipse by Stephenie Meyer, pg 299

(3) quoted from The Twilight Saga: the official illustrated guide by Stephenie Meyer, pg 252

(4) quoted from The Twilight Saga: the official illustrated guide by Stephenie Meyer, pg 287


	8. Sweet Dreams

**Sweet Dreams**

I woke feeling refreshed from the best night's sleep I'd had in months. I'd even slept in, for once not hearing my father getting ready for work or leaving the house. My dreams had been blissful, starring a certain blond haired former soldier, and I hadn't wanted to awaken from them.

I thought about last night, after Jasper offered to walk me to my door.

_I reluctantly agreed, only because I was really starting to feel the cold, but I hoped he'd still stay with me for a while. I was growing quite fond of him and wanted to get to know him better. In more ways than one, I admitted to myself. He glided around the truck as I took off my seat belt and opened the door. He lightly steadied me as I climbed out, and I enjoyed the feel of his hands on my hips. I wasn't off balance, so I hoped he was simply taking advantage of an opportunity to touch me._

_Once I closed the door, he offered me his arm to escort me, the way gentlemen used to do and ushers still do at weddings. We strolled together up the walkway in companionable silence. He paused patiently on the porch as I scrambled around for my key, then turned it in the lock. I liked that he didn't take it from me and do it himself, the way Edward used to do, as if I was incapable or perhaps he was just too impatient with my human speed. I slipped the key back into my jacket pocket and turned around to invite Jasper inside._

_He took a step closer, deliberately invading my personal space, and leaned toward me slightly. I rested my back on the door, staring up into his eyes, which gleamed in the moonlight, just like any other predator's. I wasn't frightened in the slightest. My heartbeat quickened with anticipation._

_"Would you like to join me inside, stay awhile?" I offered hopefully._

_He smiled, but shook his head minutely. "I'm sorry, but I can't. I need to run the area, find out where Victoria is and where she's been, and determine whether or not she's working alone or has help. I'm betting Laurent wasn't the only one working for her."_

_"Oh," I muttered, disappointed. "Right."_

_He grinned, his teeth flashing white in the darkness. It sent a thrill through me, in a very pleasant way. His grin widened._

_"Don't worry, darlin'. I'm going to take care of Victoria and her minions lickety-split, and then I'll be more than happy to keep you company," he drawled. The purr in his voice sent the good kind of shivers down my spine, and I unconsciously licked my lips. His eyes dropped to follow the movement of my tongue._

_"I'd like that," I confessed in a throaty voice, my eyelids becoming hooded as I glanced back and forth between his eyes and his lips._

_"May I kiss you goodnight?" he murmured, lightly skating his fingers along the edge of my jaw._

_I nodded once, jerkily, whispering, "Yes, please."_

_My eyes started to drift closed as his head dipped toward mine, but I forced them back open, wanting to make sure I didn't unintentionally start imagining Edward kissing me when I felt the sensation of his smooth, cold lips brushing against mine. I needn't have worried. There was no similarity between Jasper's and Edward's kisses, other than body temperature. Edward had always grasped my upper arms firmly, reminding me to remain absolutely still while he pressed his lips gently to mine, then pulled away, keeping distance between our bodies the entire time._

_Jasper moved his whole body into my space, one hand sliding into my hair, the other wrapping around my waist and pulling me flush up against his marble body. His lips moved against mine, brushing softly, then sucking my bottom lip into his mouth and running his tongue across it. I moaned, overwhelmed with the sensations. Without even thinking about it, my hands found themselves running up his biceps and into his curls, fisting his tresses and tugging. I felt intense pleasure and white hot desire wash over me in a tidal wave, flooding my being. I'd never felt anything like it before._

_Jasper pulled himself away from me, chest heaving, and took a step back, putting a few inches of air between our bodies. I whimpered, not wanting him to stop, and tried to pull him close to me again. I felt a blanket of calm contentment wrap itself around me, sucking away the sexual tension. Jasper took a deep breath and smiled sweetly at me, gently untangling my hands from his hair._

_I sensed the tendrils of rejection, frustration, sadness, embarrassment, and unworthiness welling up inside, trying to tug away at the contentment Jasper was forcing upon me. He shook his head and squeezed my hands in his. "Darling, as much as I would love to continue, there is a time and place for everything. Here on your front porch right now is neither. I have a vitally important duty to perform tonight that I cannot afford to shirk. After all, your life is one of the ones hanging in the balance. Besides, we really need to have a serious conversation before this proceeds any further, and you're already dead on your feet."_

_I stubbornly shook my head, even though I knew he was right._

_He smirked. "Get a good night's sleep, beautiful, and call me in the morning once you wake. I'll come over and let you know what I've discovered from my mission tonight."_

_"I don't know your number," I whispered, blushing._

_"Alright. I'll come in for a minute, and write it down for you," he decided. He followed me into the kitchen, quickly scribbling his number on a piece of paper. He handed to me, then drawled, "Good night, sweetheart. Sweet dreams."_

_Leaning over, he brushed his lips across my heated cheek, then headed for the door. "Don't forget to lock up behind me," he reminded on his way out, calling over his shoulder._

_"Be safe!" I cried after him, worried about him going on his own, despite what I'd learned about his experience and capabilities._

_"Always!" he chuckled, just before he shut the door behind him. Sighing, I ambled over to lock it, knowing it wouldn't do any good if Victoria or one of her minions wanted to enter._

Rolling over, I peeked at my alarm clock and was startled to see it was nearly ten am. Shocked, I hopped out of bed and headed straight for the bathroom, deciding not to call Jasper until I was dressed and ready to receive visitors. I raced through my shower, eager to have Jasper over and find out what he'd discovered.

As soon as I was decent, I called Jasper and left a message on his cell phone. I was disappointed he didn't answer and decided to get some breakfast while I waited for him to call me back. I had just finished my bowl of cereal when there was a knock on the door.

I hurried to answer it, hoping it was Jasper, and was relieved to see it was indeed the blond-haired vampire waiting on the other side. "Good morning, beautiful. I take it you slept well?"

I beamed up at him, opening the door wide and gesturing for him to enter. He strolled past me, his eyes on me the entire time. "Yes, I did thank you. Best sleep I've had in months."

He smiled, but I noticed the tightness around his eyes. "What's wrong?" I demanded, shutting the door and leading him into the living room.

He sighed, "Always so perceptive. You're a dangerous little human, Bella Swan."

I rolled my eyes and crossed my arms over my chest. "Stop stalling."

He nodded and took a seat on the couch. I joined him there, turning my body to face him. He took my hand in his, rubbing his thumb over my knuckles.

Looking into my eyes, he began explaining, "I caught onto Victoria's scent last night. She has tried to approach you from multiple angles, trying to get around the wolves. She's gotten disturbingly close to your house, before being intercepted each time. She was approaching from the northwest this time, having come in from the ocean. I sensed her with my gift for only a millisecond before immediately giving pursuit. Unfortunately, she somehow managed to stay just out of range of my gift the rest of the time. Even when I tried to change direction and cut her off, she managed to veer off her path, not falling into the trap. I chased her all the way back to the ocean, but I lost her there."

He growled in frustration, and I could tell he was second-guessing himself, wondering if he was losing his edge.

"It's not just you," I confided, trying to comfort him. "The wolves have tried all kinds of strategies, working together to circle around her, cutting off every possible avenue of escape, but she always gets away anyway. She's like Houdini."

His eyes widened, his thoughts racing. "That's it!" he crowed.

"What's it?" I asked, confused.

He smiled. "She's an escape artist, like Houdini. She must have the gift of evasion."

"Oh, yeah, that makes sense," I pondered.

He scowled. "That's going to make it very difficult to catch her. I'm going to have to call in back-up. I can't be everywhere at once. Looks like you'll be meeting Peter and Char sooner rather than later."

"Oh, cool," I muttered, having mixed feelings about it.

He grinned. "Don't worry, darling, my gift allows me to retaliate against my brother quite effectively, since it won't kill him or harm him significantly. You saw what I did to Jacob. I can keep Peter in line too, when I want."

"Well, in that case, hurry up and call him," I encouraged, relieved.

He winked and whipped out his phone, making the call. "Hey, Petey, I need your help. . . Yeah, I know I just saw ya last year, but we've got a situation. Remember the nomads I told ya about? . . . Yeah, I was right. The red-head was the tracker's mate and now she's out for revenge. . . . I know, I know, I shoulda gone after her anyway no matter what Carlisle said. . . Turns out she's gifted though, a regular Houdini, which helps her keep outta the range of my gift. . . .Naw, it's worse than that. I made a wide sweep last night and found one of her bases in Seattle. She's been making newborns. I killed the three I found, but based on scents, there's at least 8 more. They're moving around a lot and using the water to confuse their scent trails, since the city's surrounded by it. . . . No, it's even worse than that. Only Carlisle and I are in any condition to fight. . . No, I could tell you, but really you're gonna have to see it to believe it. We do have a pack of shapeshifters able to help if need be. . . . Yeah, the ones from the treaty. Apparently, their wolf genes have been kicking in like gangbusters since the last time you were here, because they're not not extinct after all. There's eight of the suckers, and they've already taken out one centuries old vampire . . . . Yeah, so I hate to ask it of ya, but I'm gonna need you and Char yellow-eyed when ya get here. I know it'll take a couple days of burning up energy hardcore and then gorging on the critters to pull it off, but it's for Char's safety. They'd let you get away with it, due to your gift, but they'd try to kill her. . . . Uh, I'll tell you about that later. It's fine, I promise. . . . Trust me, I'll explain later. . . . Okay, I'll see ya soon. Thanks!"

As soon as he hung up, I confronted him, "She's making newborns, like Maria did? She's making an _army_?!"

He nodded, squeezing my hand comfortingly. "She is, but I promise I'll take care of you."

I smiled tremulously, nervous and scared, not just for myself, but for everybody I cared about. "I couldn't ask for anyone better. You're the best possible person to have on my side, and I'm so glad you're here."

**xxxxxxx**

**AN:** So what did you think?


	9. Meeting of the Minds

**Meeting of the Minds**

We headed over to the Cullen house. Jacob and Alice were going to meet us there, along with Sam. Jasper had tried to meet with the wolves earlier, but Jacob and Alice were still asleep after being up half the night, so he'd agreed to wait. Now he was glad he'd waited and spoken with me first, as he had more information and a different strategy to present.

We walked in to find Esme and Edward busy in the kitchen.

"What're you making?" I asked, giving Esme a good morning hug, while Jasper went up to talk to Carlisle in his study.

She squeezed me close and placed a motherly kiss on my forehead. "Good morning, sweetheart! Well, it's already 11 o'clock, so we thought we'd prepare luncheon for everyone for after the meeting."

"Hello, Bella," Edward murmured, smiling warmly. "You look well rested."

I glanced in his direction, my lip twitching involuntarily in a half-smile. "Yeah, I just got up an hour ago," I admitted sheepishly, looking at Esme. "I just had breakfast too, so I won't be hungry for a while."

"Oh, that's okay. I'm glad you're feeling better," she comforted.

Jacob and Alice came bustling in then, followed by a tense Sam. He saw Edward and Esme and shook his head in amazement. Then his eyes fell on me and his eyebrows shot up in disbelief. "Bella, you look good, better than I've seen you in months!" he declared. His eyes flew over to Edward, narrowing suspiciously.

I laughed. "No nightmares last night, Sam. It's amazing what a good night's sleep can do for a person."

His eyes came back to me, smiling widely. "I'm glad to hear that, Bella."

"How's Emily?" I inquired.

His smile widened, his eyes softening. "She's great. She's really taken with Alice." He shook his head, rubbing his face with his hands. "I wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't seen it with my own eyes. I don't know what to think. Nobody's ever heard of lee- uh, vampires being able to return to their human state. If there's a cure, well, it changes things, you know? Especially considering one of them was actually an _imprint_ after becoming human again."

Jasper and Carlisle came downstairs to join us. Everyone took a seat around the dining room table. I saw a spot on the placemat in front of Edward and smiled to myself, thinking how happy Esme must be to now be able to use the table for its intended use.

Jasper cleared his throat and began, "I figured out why you've had such difficulty taking down Victoria, when a pack your size should've easily been able to handle her." Sam and Jacob grimaced, both wearing stormy, rebellious expressions. They opened their mouths to defend themselves, but Jasper continued, "She has a powerful gift, the gift of evasion. She instinctively heads in whatever direction leads to self-preservation. It allows her to literally stay one step ahead of anyone who wishes her harm."

Jacob and Sam both relaxed as soon as they realized Jasper wasn't blaming them or suggesting they were incompetent. "That would explain a lot," Sam growled, slamming his fist down on the table. Luckily, he'd he'd had enough experience with breaking things in his own house to temper his strength. "Every time we thought for sure we had her cornered, she'd slip through our fingers in some random, bizarre way. It was so demoralizing that it kept happening, and we were starting to blame each other, thinking someone wasn't pulling their own weight or something."

He suddenly stopped talking, looking like he regretted revealing as much as he did.

"If Edward had warned us of the tracker's intention to hunt Bella no matter what while we were still in the field, we could have dealt with the problem decisively, right then and there. Instead, he waited to say anything until they were out of the range of our gifts, placing us in the current situation," Jasper revealed.

Edward received dirty looks from Jacob, Sam, Alice, and me. Jasper ignored him, as if he wasn't even sitting at the table with the rest of us. Carlisle and Esme exchanged a speaking look with one another, and Edward simply scowled.

"To make matters worse, Victoria's been building an army in the Seattle area, like the ones you may have heard about in Central America," Jasper informed them. "I came across nearly a dozen different scents in that area, all from vampires less than a year old, but they range in age from 4-11 months. I interrogated and killed the three newborns I was able to track last night, but the others got away in the water, likely having been warned by Victoria to flee before I arrived. Considering the ages of those in Seattle, I'm guessing she either stopped making new ones when she realized the Cullens had left town, or she set up a second base in another nearby city, not wanting to draw the attention of the Volturi by causing too many deaths in one area. Her second in command is an 11 month old by the name of Riley."

"Shit! This is bad!" Jacob exclaimed, starting to shake. Jasper sent him a wave of calm at the same time Alice placed a comforting hand on his harm, resting her cheek on his bicep.

"A newborn army?!" Edward freaked. "We're going to die! We're all going to die!"

Jasper rolled his eyes, sending a wave of calm to Edward too. I could see how worried Carlisle appeared as he pulled Esme closer to him.

"Now you know why I've been so worried," I remarked, glaring pointedly at Edward. "You thought you and your family were so dangerous that you abandoned me, leaving me to face Victoria alone. Then you complained about how dangerous the wolves are, when they were the only ones standing between me and a torturous death. I was never afraid of you guys or the wolves, Edward. I always knew there were risks involved in associating with both groups, but I was willing to accept them, to love everyone for _who_ they are, regardless of _what_ they are. Victoria_ terrifies_ me. She intends to cause me as much harm as she possibly can and will delight in every bit of my pain. _She_ is the only true monster here."

"I'm sorry, Bella," Edward muttered, chagrined.

Sam snorted, but didn't say anything. I could see the pride in his eyes for me for speaking my mind though.

"So what do we do?" Jacob asked worriedly.

"I've called my brother to come help, since I can't be everywhere I'd need to be. He and his mate will be here in a couple of days," Jasper replied.

"You called Peter and Charlotte? They'll eat me!" Edward immediately protested in alarm.

"One can only hope," Jacob muttered. "I, for one, would be willing to forgive them if they did."

Sam tried to hide his grin, while Esme looked offended.

"Now, Edward, you know they're animal drinkers, like we are. Their eyes will prove it," Jasper chastised, using his gift to keep Edward from responding. "Though if you don't learn to keep your mouth shut, they may be tempted to make an exception on your part."

I saw the surprised look Carlisle and Esme sent Jasper when he said Peter and Char were animal drinkers, but luckily the wolves were too busy watching Edward squirm to pick up on it. Carlisle's lips twitched upwards, and I could tell he was pleased by the news.

"Alice, have you had any visions?" Jasper prompted.

Alice blushed and nodded hesitantly, biting her lip. She leaned forward slightly, her eyes rolling back in her head as she recounted, "I saw Victoria going inside a castle and telling the receptionist she needed an audience with Aro. That's all I saw."

Jasper's eyes widened, and he abruptly turned to face Carlisle. "We can't let her get to Volterra! If Aro reads her, he'll find out about Bella, that she knows our secret and we haven't changed her. Our whole family will be on trial for exposure, but now most of our family _is_ human, so we're even more guilty! How do you think Aro will react when he finds out most of our members chose to become human again? He'll eat them, just to make a point, to discourage other vampires from doing the same! Except maybe for Edward and Alice, whom he'll forcibly change back into vampires, assuming he can, so he can have their gifts. Not to mention what'll happen to the wolves when Caius finds out about them. He's had a vendetta against Children of the Moon for centuries, wiping out entire villages just to get one or two of them. He'll order the whole tribe decimated to wipe out wolves from the gene pool."

Both Jacob and Sam snarled, throwing back their chairs and barely making it outside before shifting. They lifted their massive heads and howled into the air, startling Edward and Esme. I was used to it, after hanging around with them for the past few weeks. I knew their howls could be heard from miles away, even by human ears. Locals were baffled by the new wolf pack in the area which bayed at any time of day or night, rather than just at the moon. Farmers had been concerned at first about their livestock and parents worried about young children playing alone in their back yards, but of course, there hadn't been any incidents. The wolves were content to stay in the forest and reduce the ever prevalent deer population.

"I don't want to become a vampire again, Carlisle! You have to do something!" Edward begged.

"What if you changed me? I'd be able to help fight," I offered, looking at Jasper and Carlisle, my emotions confident. "And I wouldn't be a sitting duck anymore."

"What?! No! Absolutely not! I forbid it!" Edward declared. "Are you insane? How can you even think that way?"

I glared at him ferociously, my voice echoing with rage as I replied, "This has absolutely _nothing_ to do with you, so shut the hell up! Your opinion has no bearing on my life or my decisions whatsoever! You're nothing but a foolish coward who expects everyone to cater to your whims and fix your mistakes, so _butt_ out, little boy and stay out of things that don't concern you."

A chorus of barks and growls from the yard indicated the wolves' displeasure with my idea. I didn't care what they thought either.

Jasper smiled. "Well, sweetheart, I'm afraid you _would_ be a sitting duck if I changed you right now, and so would the rest of us. While you're changing, you're at your most vulnerable, so one of us would need to guard you. You wouldn't be in control of your bloodlust right away either, so you wouldn't be able to be around humans, including Esme, Edward, and Alice. Therefore, one of us would need to take you away from here and stay with you, which would leave the other to guard Esme and Edward alone. If Victoria is smart, she'd have her army go straight after Carlisle, whether he was away with you or here with the others. He'd never be able to stand against an army on his own, and she'd destroy him and whomever is with him."

"But the wolves would help!" I reminded him.

Sam walked back into the room, scowling heavily. "Not if one of them bit you. That would nullify the treaty."

"Damn it!" I shouted. "Why would you be such a prick about it?"

"Bella!" Esme gasped, scandalized. "Language!"

"Why would you want to become a monster? They don't even want to be monsters!" Sam demanded.

"I want to be able to defend myself! I'm tired of being the weak link!" I insisted.

A glimmer of understanding lit Sam's eyes and his voice was kinder when he offered, "I'd like you to hang out with Leah on Sunday. As the only female wolf, I think she could relate to you the best. Talk to her about your feelings and frustrations about being a human with supernatural enemies. I'd appreciate it if you did. She blames herself, the shock of her shifting, for her father's death, so she's taking her change harder than the others."

I guessed there was more to Leah's rejection of the change than even the trauma of losing her father the same day. The fact that she was now subject to Sam and could see his thoughts about Emily in her own mind had to be eating away at her. I decided to take the opportunity to see if I could bring her around to my way of thinking. "Sure, I'll talk to her on Sunday," I agreed.

I looked over at Jasper and read the promise in his eyes. Thinking back over his words, I realized he hadn't said 'no', he'd said 'not right now'. I could respect that. Once Peter and Char were here to help, I'd revisit the topic, but next time I'd do it between just the two of us. He felt my resolve and winked, causing me to smile at him.

Sam turned to Jasper then, looking at him curiously and apprehensively. "Are you really Diablo? You don't look like him or act like him."

I rolled my eyes and scoffed. "That's because Diablo doesn't exist. He's not a real person. He's a myth, a collection of rumors and stories, specifically created to strike fear into the hearts of vampires everywhere, the vampire equivalent of the 'bogeyman'."

Jasper gave me an unfathomable look.

"How would you know?" Edward accused.

"Jasper told me all about it last night on the way back to my house," I calmly replied.

Edward snorted. "And of course you believed him. You're so naive."

I narrowed my eyes at him, and bit out through clenched teeth, "Yes, I believed him. I also used my common sense. It was obvious the Jasper who has _saved my life_ several times is NOT a depraved demon! I looked at the facts, Edward and used my brain. You should try it sometime. I've been actively bleeding in front of him twice, yet I'm still sitting here with my heart beating. The wife and mate of over fifty years who rejected and betrayed him is still sitting here whole and healthy along with her new beau. You, who irritates, annoys, and belittles him at every opportunity, are still alive and well. He's having a rational discussion and sharing vital information with those who are the natural mortal enemies of vampires. None of that adds up to there being any truth to the bizarre and atrocious rumors associated with him."

Edward rolled his eyes, responding disdainfully. "So of course you believe he's a sweet, little innocent who would never harm anyone, right?"

I laughed. "Bullshit! I'm not blind to his past. He fought in a brutal war for territory for over 80 years! War always involves casualties and sacrifices. He followed the orders of his commanding officer and was deliberately brainwashed into believing there was no other way to live. As soon as he found out he could live in peace, he walked away without a second thought. He's an incredible soldier, undefeated. He's one of the most powerful vampires in the world, and frankly, I'm extremely happy to have him on_ my side_. I just also know he's an honorable man with a moral code I respect. He told me he never fed on women or children, even as a newborn, and I believe him. Unlike you, he's never lied to me. When he hunted humans, he chose to go after hard-core criminals who deserved to die, unrepentant murders, rapists, and child predators, just like _you_ did when _you_ hunted humans. _You_ have no right to judge him! Especially considering when _he_ found out he could feed from animals, he never went back to hunting humans, whereas you_ always_ knew you could live off of animal blood and _chose_ to leave Carlisle and go off on your own to hunt humans _anyway_."

Edward flushed bright red and hung his head. Sam and Jacob growled at him.

"Relax, guys, that was around 80 years ago. He saw the error of his ways after about a decade of playing God, returning to Carlisle and the animal diet years before he met your ancestors," I offered. "And he's been clean ever since. The upshot of all this is Major Jasper Whitlock is a powerful and extremely dangerous individual who always wins and should never be underestimated, but he is also an honorable and trustworthy man, whom anyone should be proud to have as a friend or ally. Consider yourselves very lucky to be among the few who can claim that status."


	10. Making Plans

**Making Plans**

After Sam, Jacob, and Alice left, Carlisle decided it was time to call Rosalie and Emmett to let them know what was going on with Victoria. I helped Esme put away the leftover food and wash the dishes, while Edward went into the other room and began messing around with his piano.

I found it hard to believe Spring Break was nearly over already. Today was Friday, and school would be back in session on Monday. _Speaking of which_ . . . "Are Edward and Alice planning to go back to school on Monday?" I asked Esme.

She nodded. "They did intend to, though I believe Alice will probably decide to attend school on the reservation with Jacob now."

"The other students are definitely going to notice the difference in Edward. Have you decided on a cover story?" I warned.

She shook her head, furrowing her brow. "Does he really look all that different?"

I nodded emphatically. "Absolutely. I strongly suggest claiming you guys left suddenly because he was diagnosed with a serious illness. Something contagious, in case they see Alice too. I'd be happy to put the word out if you'd like. Otherwise, they're going to hound him mercilessly. He's not intimidating anymore, so they won't keep their distance, and he can't read minds anymore, so he won't automatically know what to say to avoid suspicion. For safety's sake, you don't want the other students posting stuff about him on the internet, trying to figure out what happened to him."

"She's right," Jasper agreed, strolling into the room. "I'm sure the Volturi have someone monitoring the internet, and his name, coupled with rumors about a drastic change in appearance, might catch their interest. Victoria probably has someone monitoring the school as well, and we really don't want her knowing about the change in his status until we're ready to defend against her."

Carlisle came into the kitchen looking disturbed. "Rosalie has decided she and Emmett will be safer staying away from the family," he announced.

I had mixed feelings about that. _On the one hand, it's unlikely Victoria will be able to track them down. On the other hand, if they do get targeted, they'll be defenseless._

"You left out a lot in your conversation with her, Carlisle," Jasper declared. "You didn't mention the possibility that she's not truly human, nor did you tell her about Alice's vision, regarding Victoria going to Volterra."

Carlisle frowned. "Alice's visions aren't as sure as they used to be, now that she's human again, and I saw no need to cause her distress before we have any answers."

"Have you run any tests yet?" I inquired curiously.

Carlisle shook his head.

"Well, I think a blood test would be a good place to start. You'll want to check their DNA and their reproductive status. Edward's would be the easiest. Just examine a sample of his ejaculate under a microscope and see if he has any swimmers. I'm sure you did the same when he was a vampire, so you can compare the two in your mind. You'll also want to see how venom affects their blood under a microscope to determine whether or not it's even possible to change them back into vampires," I suggested.

Carlisle grimaced and nodded. "That'll have to wait until later though. I have to get to work now."

I stared after him as he left the room. "He's in denial, isn't he?" I muttered under my breath to Jasper. "He's afraid of what he'll find, so he doesn't want to look."

Jasper looked at me, startled for a moment, then nodded. "Such a dangerous little human. I wonder if you have a gift for perception."

"Nah, it's just natural intuition," I blew off with a chuckle.

"Well, as much as I would love to spend the day with you, I need to scout out all the cities within 200 miles to see if Victoria has more newborns stashed nearby," Jasper informed me.

"Oh," I replied, disappointed. "I should get back to my house then, see if Charlie needs me. Harry was one of his best friends, and the funeral is tomorrow."

"How about I escort you home then and leave from there? I want to make sure Victoria hasn't circled around again after I chased her away yesterday," Jasper offered.

I quickly accepted and left with him, glad to get away from Edward's watching eyes. Whatever was developing with Jasper was too new to have my ex trying to interfere and spoil it.

Jasper outlined his plans and concerns for me on the way back to my house. Once we arrived, he requested, "Bella, I'd feel a lot better if you were to spend the rest of the day on the reservation with Alice. I know Jacob and the rest of the pack will protect her with their lives now, so if you're with her, they'll protect you too. I don't think Victoria will be brave enough to approach our house yet, but you clearly weren't comfortable staying there. We know getting to you is her main goal at the moment, and she's focused on this house. If she comes by in my absence, I don't want you to be here for her to snatch. Now that Jacob isn't head over heels for you, you're no longer a major priority for the wolves. Sad, but true. They will always protect their own first. Everyone does."

"Okay, Jasper," I agreed. "I don't want you to be distracted by worrying about me. I'll give Alice a call and see if she wants to hang out and get caught up on each other's lives from the past six months."

He waited with me until I called Alice, who eagerly agreed to have me come over and hang out with her. Emily and Kim had missed me as well, so we were going to have a girls' day, much to Alice's excitement. As soon as I ended the call, I found myself in Jasper's arms. "Thank you, darling," he drawled. "That eases my mind considerably."

I smiled up at him, wrapping my arms around his neck and running my fingers through his curls. I let my eyes fall shut as he leaned in closer, concentrating on the sensations. His hands ran up and down my back, his fingernails lightly grazing, feeling so good. His lips parted slightly as they met my own, blowing his cool breath against me. His tongue peeked out, brushing against my lower lip, requesting entrance. I let my own mouth open a bit and was surprised by the feel of his tongue teasing my own. I'd never felt anything like it before - my first french kiss. He tasted sweet, and I unconsciously sucked on his cold tongue like a Popsicle. It must've been the right thing to do, because he moaned and pulled me closer, his desire overflowing and pouring into me everywhere we were touching.

I gripped his hair and tugged, remembering how much he'd liked that last time. His kiss became even more passionate, his hands roving lower, over my hips, close to my backside. His fingers played with the hem of my shirt, and I held my breath, wondering if he would slip underneath. Groaning he pulled away, resting his forehead on mine for a moment as he struggled with our emotions, trying to calm us both.

I couldn't help the pout forming on my lips. I wasn't ready for him to stop. _What is it with vampires and their infernal boundaries? At least Jasper's boundaries are a lot looser than Edward's were_, I consoled myself. Jasper dissolved my sexual tension and frustration, leaving me feeling satisfied and content, even though nothing had happened physically to merit it. It didn't feel quite right. My body could tell it was manufactured rather than earned.

He could feel the hint of dissatisfaction and frustration still lingering and smirked at me. "Don't worry, beautiful. I promise I won't always leaving you hanging, but I don't want to rush into things physically before we're both ready emotionally. I want more from you than a simple fling. Even supernatural bonds that form quickly need to be nurtured to grow into something healthy. I jumped into things with Alice because I wanted the love she offered so badly, and she constantly lived in the future, basing her actions on what she saw things could be. We never took the time to build our relationship, to communicate our needs, wants, desires, hopes, dreams, and fears with one another, which is why our bond faltered so easily when she became human again. There was nothing tying us together once the supernatural pull to one another was gone. We had nothing in common, like you and Edward.

In the past, Alice would foresee an argument and the way around it. She knew how to get me to agree to whatever she wanted and simply took that path, so we never learned how to communicate effectively or work through our problems together. Without her gift to guide her away from issues and disagreements, to tell her just what to say or do to get her way, it all fell apart. She didn't want to work on things with me. She wanted me to be the same 'yes' man she'd had before, when she knew exactly which buttons to push. She'd never taken the time to get to know me and what I wanted or needed. She was always focused on herself and how to create the future she wanted to have.

So this time, I'm doing it the right way. I want something that will last no matter what, that could survive us both turning human, just in case. That's not the future I want, us being human. I want us to both be vampires, living and loving forever. Unfortunately, there are no guarantees in life though, so if it all goes to hell in a handbasket, I want to at least have the kind of bond Rose and Emmett have. Their love for one another is still incredibly strong, even if it isn't to the epic proportions it used to be."

How could I argue with that? I couldn't, so I simply smiled, sent him my acceptance, and gave him one more quick kiss, before sending him on his way and heading over to the reservation.

**xxxxxxx**

The next morning, I had Jessica and Angela come by my house for coffee and donuts. Jessica wasn't going to come at first until I told her the Cullens were back, and I had all the details. Suddenly, I was her best friend again. _Could she be any more transparent?_ Of course, I was counting on her love of gossip.

When Jessica and Angela arrived, I led them into the kitchen to have our breakfast and chat. I heard my dad leave his room and start heading down the stairs, planning to head over to the reservation early and help with the preparations for Harry's funeral.

"So, Edward and Alice came to see me Thursday evening," I began. I heard Charlie freeze at the bottom of the steps, hiding just out of sight._ Excellent! I want him to hear all this too._

"Oh, Bella! That must've been so hard," Angela sympathized.

"Really? Oh, my God! What did they say?" Jessica demanded.

I smiled at Angela and shook my head. "No, it wasn't hard. It was wonderful. You see, the reason I was so depressed all this time was because I thought Edward and Alice were dead. I was mourning them, so when I found out they were alive and well after all, it was such a relief."

"Why would you think they were dead?" Jessica wondered, looking at me as if I were stupid.

"The Cullens needed to leave so abruptly because several of them came down with a rare wasting disease, and the whole family had to go into quarantine," I explained. "Rose and Emmett brought it home with them from a visit to the tropics over summer break. Edward had just started coming down with it when they left. The thing is, he told me it was fatal, and there was no hope and no cure. He thought that would give me closure and allow me to move on, not thinking about how distraught I would be to imagine them all wasting away to death. He didn't want me waiting around for him when he didn't know how long it would take for him to get better, so he thought I'd be better off believing they were dead."

"Really?" Angela asked, shaking her head. "I thought he was smarter than that."

"I know, right?" Jessica agreed. "Guys are so stupid sometimes!"

I nodded in agreement and continued, "Then he thought I would just take him back, as if nothing happened, now that it's all over. I told him I was happy they were all still alive, but I wasn't the slightest bit interested in getting back together. He not only lied to me and disrespected my feelings, he lied to his entire family. They all gave him letters to give to me saying goodbye and including their new contact information, but he destroyed them instead and told his family I didn't want anything to do with them anymore. I'm not interested in a relationship with someone who's willing to deceive everyone who cares about him and who thinks it's okay to try and control me, thinking he knows what's best for me better than I do or anyone else does. He disgusts me, and I want nothing more to do with him."

I heard Charlie's relieved sigh.

"What an asshole!" Angela agreed, blushing from her use of profanity.

"So he's fair game then?" Jessica wondered.

"Jessica!" Angela scolded, appalled.

I laughed. "Yes, Jessica, he's all yours if you want him. I should warn you though, he doesn't look the same as he did before. He lost all his muscle tone and a lot of his intelligence. He's not a super hot model anymore. He's just a regular guy now, complete with pimples and peach fuzz."

Jess shrugged. "Okay by me."

I chuckled, wondering how long her infatuation would last after encountering the new Edward.

"So how many of his family members got sick?" Angela wondered.

I sighed and admitted, "Everyone except Jasper and Dr. Cullen. Alice has decided to attend school on the reservation, so you probably won't see her, but the illness definitely took its toll."

"Ohh, I see," Angela replied with a nod and an understanding smile. No doubt she figured Alice was ashamed to be seen in her current state by her former peers.

"Wow! It's like something out of a movie or something!" Jessica cooed, oblivious to the unspoken messages passed between Angela and me. "Poor Eddie."

"All the girls at Forks High have my blessing to try their luck with him. He won't be so high and mighty now that he's had a brush with death and lost most of his good looks and muscular physique," I suggested. "I may be angry and disappointed with him, but I do feel sorry for him too. I'm sure he's going to be overwhelmed with people asking questions, and I thought I'd ease his way a bit by sharing his story. I do have permission from the family to do so. He's still recovering and isn't strong like he used to be. I'm not going to be the one holding his hand and protecting him in person, because I don't want to give him the wrong impression, but I thought perhaps the two of you could help take some of the pressure off of him by answering the crowd's questions. Let him have a little breathing room."

"Oh, you definitely came to the right person, Bella," Jessica praised. She pulled her phone out and started texting all her friends.

"Thanks for letting us know what's going on, Bella," Angela asserted, watching Jess like a hawk. "We'll have Edward's back if he needs us."

Jessica grinned up at me and gave me a wink. "Don't worry, Eddie'll be in good hands. I'm an excellent champion."

I waited until she went back to her phone before rolling my eyes. Angela saw me though and hid her smile behind her hand.

**xxxxxxx**

**AN:** So what do you think the crowd at school will make of the new Eddie?


	11. Vampire Flambe

**Vampire Flambe**

After Angela, Jessica, and Charlie left, I went over to the Cullens' house to see Jasper and find out what he had learned from his explorations of the surrounding area.

"I checked everything within a 200 mile radius of Forks and didn't find any new scents, but it's still possible she has others in Portland or Spokane," Jasper informed me, as we sat together on the loveseat in the living room. "I'll have to check them tonight."

I nodded, disappointed he would be away again tonight, but understanding the need for it.

"How's Charlie?" Esme inquired politely. She and Edward were sitting on the couch, watching my interactions with Jasper.

"He went over early to help Sue with the arrangements for the funeral and the wake," I replied.

"Why didn't you go with him?" Edward asked condescendingly. "You didn't think he could use your help and support while dealing with the death of one of his closest friends?"

"I barely even knew the man," I defended. "I only met him a couple of times as a child and haven't seen him at all since I moved here last year. I don't know his wife or children either, though I know of them. I don't think it would be appropriate to attend the funeral and wake of a stranger, intruding on the grief of the family and friends left behind, when I couldn't relate to them at all. I'll be there for my dad tonight, when he gets home. He doesn't need or want me there. He didn't invite me or even tell me the details of where and when, so he obviously had absolutely no expectation of me attending."

Edward grimaced and opened his mouth, but was cut off by the phone ringing. Esme had been looking back and forth between us, as if watching a tennis match, and she hopped up eagerly, her face a mask of relief. "Oh! It's Rosalie!" she exclaimed, bringing the extension over and hitting the button for the speaker phone. Carlisle quickly joined the rest of us, racing down the stairs at his natural speed. "Hello?" Esme answered happily.

"Mom?! Mom! We were attacked!" Rosalie sobbed into the phone.

"What happened?!" Carlisle demanded at the same time Jasper soothingly stated, "Calm down, Rosie, and try to tell us what happened."

There was a shuffling sound and then Emmett came on the line. "Sorry, guys, she's hysterical," he apologized, slightly slurring his speech.

"Have you been drinking?!" Carlisle accused, shocked.

"Hell, yeah, Pops! We went to lunch at this little Mexican place with margaritas the size of fish bowls! It was awesome!" Emmett cheered. "I had all of mine and most of Rosie's, plus a couple of beers."

Carlisle scowled and growled, "What happened, Emmett? Are you hurt? What about Rose?"

"Uh, I don't know what happened, but we're both fine and dandy," Emmett answered, sounding confused. "No injuries or nothing. Rosie's just really freaked out about something."

"We were attacked by a vampire! He bit Emmett!" Rose shrieked, her voice carrying through the phone easily even though Emmett was still holding it up to his own face.

"What?! When did that happen?!" Emmett roared, his voice panicky. "Are you okay? Am I okay? How am I okay?"

"Who's driving?" Jasper asked, his quiet voice cutting through everyone else's, ringing with authority that demanded a response.

"Rose is," Emmett replied.

"Are you in immediate danger? Are you being pursued?" Jasper asked, as everyone else stopped talking, responding to his calm, commanding influence.

Emmett relayed the questions to Rose and after a few seconds of nothing but broken sobbing, Rose took a deep breath and let it out slowly, trying to ease herself out of panic mode. "No, I don't think we're being pursued."

"Okay, I want you to pull into a crowded parking lot, a grocery store or Wal-mart," Jasper instructed.

"OKay," she whimpered, trying to stay calm.

"Now, Emmett, what do you remember?" Jasper inquired.

"We had an awesome time at the restaurant and were heading back to the car. Rosie had us parked way at the back of the lot, near the woods, because she didn't want anybody parking too close to her baby and possibly scratching it. I was singing and leaning on Rosie, teasing and hamming it up for her. She was all embarrassed and blushing, even though there was nobody else out there to hear or see me. I opened the passenger side, and the next thing I know, I'm waking up from lying on the ground with Rosie crying hysterically and trying to lift me into the car all by herself," Emmett recounted. "Oh, and there was a terrible odor in the air too."

"Alright, I can hear y'all are parked now, so please give the phone to Rosie for me," Jasper guided.

"Okay, doke," Emmett agreed, handing the phone to his wife.

"Emmett was leaning on me and acting like a dufus because he was _drunk _and completely lacking even the common sense God gave a flea," Rose growled. We heard a smack resound through the phone, followed by a hiccuping sob. She took another deep breath, before continuing, "I helped him over to the passenger side, and he opened the door, when suddenly a guy appeared out of nowhere. He attacked Emmett, bit his neck, right there in front of me! Of course I knew he was a vampire, and he was _killing_ my Emmett, _draining_ him!"

All of us listened in horror, wondering how they got away.

"I knew fire was his only weakness, and I had hairspray in my purse, along with a lighter, so I flambeed his ass! He pulled away from Emmett and fell over on his back screaming and writhing, trying to put out the flames. I aimed for his face, hoping to ignite the venom from his eyes and mouth. It worked, and by the time the can was empty, his head was already ash and the rest of his body was well on its way. I went over to Em, expecting him to be bleeding out, but the injury had already disappeared, leaving just a thin scar. He was unconscious though, and I thought he was changing back into a vampire, but he woke up while I was trying to get him in the car, and he seems to be fine," Rose finished.

It was quiet for a moment, while everyone processed what she'd said.

"I think y'all had better come to Forks, at least for the time being," Jasper decided. "It sounds like he must've been a newborn to panic from the flames that way. An older vampire wouldn't have stayed still long enough for you to fry him. He'd have taken you out with a single blow, then rolled in the dirt to put out the flames on his clothes, and would've walked away undamaged except for his clothes."

"The fire wouldn't have hurt him?" I wondered, surprised.

Jasper shook his head. "Not if he acted quickly. Vampire skin is even less flammable than human skin. If a human's clothes catch on fire, they can do a 'stop, drop, and roll' to put out the fire before it burns them. The same is true for vampires. If they do get the equivalent of a first or second degree burn from the fire before it's put out, it'll heal rapidly. It's only if venom is present to act as an accelerant that the fire gets hot enough to burn our flesh to ash. That's why vampires are ripped up first, to cause the venom to flow freely. Venom is extremely flammable and causes the flames to reach temperatures in excess of 2000 degrees almost instantly. So fire is only truly dangerous for us if we're injured, or if our eyes or mouth are open and are hit with the flames directly."

"Wow, so Rosalie did exactly the right thing," I realized. "Way to go, Rosalie! I'm so glad you and Em are okay."

"Who's . . .? Oh! Thanks, Bella," Rose accepted, her tone much nicer than I had ever heard directed toward me before.

"Bells!" Emmett cheered. "How're you doing? I can't wait to see you again!"

"Yeah, I'm looking forward to it, Em. I don't know if you heard already, but Edward burned all the goodbye notes from the family instead of giving them to me, so I wasn't ignoring any of you on purpose. I would've loved to keep in touch, but Edward lied to me, telling me you guys were leaving because he was tired of pretending to care about me and that I wasn't good enough for him," I informed them, ignoring the way Edward was glaring at me.

"What?!" they both shouted at the same time.

"How dare he? That bastard!" Rose hissed.

"I'm gonna kill him!" Em growled. "I'm gonna beat him to a bloody pulp!"

Edward looked terrified. "I said I was sorry!" he wailed. "She already said she forgave me, but she's still punishing me!"

"How is she punishing you?" Rose asked, her voice filled with interest.

"Telling you guys, for one," Edward complained. "And she says she doesn't want me anymore. She said terrible, hurtful things to me."

"You mean, she turned your own words back on you, the terrible, hurtful things _you_ said to _her_ when you broke up with her and left her in the woods to die," Jasper clarified.

"You left her in the woods to die?" Em roared.

"I didn't think she would try to follow me! We were just inside the treeline, still within sight of her house!" Edward protested.

"Yet you left a note on the counter in my handwriting informing my dad I went for a walk in the woods," I countered. "So you _did_ know I tried to follow you and would get lost, yet you didn't stick around to see if I made it out okay. I only survived because the Alpha of the Quileute pack traced my scent."

"I didn't think you'd go so far," Edward admitted, hanging his head.

"The pack?" Rose asked. "I thought they had all died!"

"The presence of vampires triggered the current generation," I explained. "It's a good thing too, because Victoria has been coming after me for a while now, so they're the only reason I'm still alive. They killed Laurent already, interrupting him right when he was about to bite me."

"Damn, girl, you really are a danger magnet, aren't you?" Emmett whistled. "You shouldn't have sent us away! We could've protected you!"

"I didn't send you away, Em. I didn't ask for space. That was all part of Edward's lies," I immediately clarified.

"I had to!" Edward yelled before anyone else could respond. "It wasn't safe for us to be around her! It wasn't safe for _me_ to be around her! I had to leave before I _killed_ her, one way or another. I had to change fate."

I snorted. "Well, you certainly succeeded in doing _that_."

"How are you feeling, Emmett? Any burning at all?" Carlisle suddenly asked, bringing us all back to the original reason for the call.

"Nope, I'm fine. I feel great actually," Em declared.

"Hmmm," Carlisle hummed, his visage troubled.

"He must've sucked the venom out while he was drinking, like I did to Bella," Edward suggested.

I saw Carlisle and Jasper exchanged a look.

"I agree with Jasper," Carlisle announced. "I think you need to come here with us. Being attacked by a newborn in broad daylight suggests Victoria may have sent him to track you after all. I didn't tell you before, because I didn't want to worry you unnecessarily, but Alice had a vision of Victoria seeking an audience with Aro in Volterra. If she succeeds, we're all going to be in very deep trouble."

"What?! Oh, no! Oh, no! This is bad!" Rose freaked, starting to hyperventilate. "We're all _humans_ who know the secret! He'll hunt us down and kill us all!"

"Well, shit! How come nobody thought of this possibility _before_ we took the witch up on her offer?" Emmett complained.

"I _did_, but nobody listened," Jasper muttered, running his fingers through his hair in frustration.

Everyone appeared chagrined, and I heard a soft apology from the phone.

"So why don't you just take out the red-headed bitch and all her little friends, Jasper?" Em challenged. "You're supposed to be some kind of Major Badass, right? It should be child's play for you!"

"Emmett, language!" Esme scolded.

Jasper sighed, admitting, "Normally, you'd be right, Emmett, but Vicki has the gift of evasion. She's able to stay out of range of my gift and stays one step ahead of the wolves too. I've called Peter and Char to come help me."

"Petey's coming? Hot dog! We'll be on the next plane," Emmett cheered excitedly.


	12. Parental Perspective

**Parental Perspective**

Alice sent me a text saying Charlie had seen her with Jake at Harry's funeral. Apparently, he was shocked by her new appearance and didn't do a good job of hiding it.

Unfortunately for Alice, her body was emaciated from her time in the mental institution, and she'd only had two months of healthy eating since returning to her human form to begin repairing the damage. Her bright blue eyes seemed too big for her face. Her black hair was buzzed close to her head, having been cut short all those years ago to avoid concerns with lice. When she'd been changed into a vampire, her hair had grown by several inches, giving her just enough to accomplish the spiky look she'd sported previously. Once she changed back to a human, the hair reverted to its original length. Her skin was sickly pale, from not having exposure to sunlight while in the asylum. She looked like she'd been enduring chemotherapy.

I was glad Charlie had seen her for himself, as it lent credence to my tale of a terrible illness striking the family. Now Charlie wouldn't hold the Cullens' disappearance against anyone but Edward, since I'd explained that the others had tried to leave me contact information.

When he got home, he confronted me, confessing, "Uh, Bells, I overheard your explanation about the Cullens to Angela and Jessica this morning."

I grinned. "I know, Dad. I heard you come down the steps and stop at the bottom. You're not as stealthy as you think you are."

"Oh," he muttered, blushing. He grimaced. "Well, I saw Alice today. If Edward looks anything like her, which I'm guessing he does, then there's no doubt he went through something terrible and life-threatening. You said he'd already started showing symptoms when they left?"

I nodded.

He sighed, "Thank goodness you didn't catch it too! Though perhaps you'd have been happier going into quarantine with them."

I gave him a half-smile and a shrug. _What can I say to that?_

He furrowed his brow and hesitantly offered, "You know, Bells, I really don't like that boy, but I feel it's only fair to mention he might've already been affected mentally by the illness when he decided to lie to you about his prognosis. Sick people often make foolish choices, thinking they're protecting their loved ones by hiding the truth about their diagnoses. He wouldn't be the first person to push away someone they love to prevent them from suffering alongside of them as they die."

"Yeah, I know. Alice pushed Jasper away when she caught the disease and he didn't. She broke up with him, even though he was willing to be with her every step of the way. Then, when she got better, things were strained and awkward between them. She'd mentally moved on without telling him and he'd held out hope of them getting back together. Yesterday, she met Jake for the first time when he brought me home, and it was love at first sight for both of them. Jake asked her out almost immediately, and she accepted. Then we all went over to the Cullen house, and it was hard for Jasper to see the two of them together, to know once and for all it was well and truly over, since she'd kind of been stringing him along."

Charlie furrowed his brow, confused. "Yeah, I saw her with Jake at the funeral. I thought he was sweet on _you_."

I shrugged. "I know you had high hopes in that direction, but I only see him as a little brother, Dad. We get along great together, but we realized there's no chemistry between us."

"If you just gave him a chance . . .," Charlie complained.

I glared at him. "I did, Dad. I gave him a chance earlier yesterday, and we both realized it didn't feel right for us to be anything other than brother and sister. Okay? Are you happy now? That's why he felt it was time to move on, and when he saw Alice, he seized the opportunity."

Charlie frowned and looked away. "Oh. I didn't realize."

I sighed. "Look, I know you've been worried about me, but I'm going to be fine. Now that I know the Cullens are all fine, I'm not depressed anymore, and I'm completely over Edward. I'm ready to move on with my life too."

"Why didn't you tell me you thought they were off somewhere dying? I would've understood your grief so much better. It makes so much more sense than you becoming catatonic over a simple break up," Charlie asked.

I frowned and bit my lip. "I promised I wouldn't tell anybody about the whole quarantine thing. I wasn't even supposed to know, but I overheard some things I wasn't supposed to and guessed their secret. The CDC [_Center for Disease Control_] was worried about starting a panic in town and having a bunch of hypochondriacs coming down with fake symptoms, so the Cullens were under orders not to tell anyone the truth. I didn't want them to get in trouble with the government, so I gave my word to Edward to keep the secret. By the time I was thinking rationally enough to realize I still could have told you and trusted you to keep it secret, so much time had already passed I didn't think it mattered. I mean, I knew I couldn't say anything about it to Renee, or she'd have had me at the hospital in a heartbeat insisting we both had it."

"Ugh, yeah, she would've," he admitted. "Okay. I know you weren't in your right mind for quite a while, and now I understand why. For the longest time, I couldn't understand why Alice at least wouldn't contact you, but after seeing her, I understand that too. Poor thing clearly had a real rough time of it. She obviously wasn't in any condition to be calling or emailing you. She must've nearly died."

"Yeah," I agreed.

Charlie sighed. "And you not receiving any contact would've fueled your belief they were already dead. I can't blame Carlisle either. With his wife and four of his children on their deathbeds, I'm sure your relationship with Edward was the least of his concerns."

I huffed. "Yeah, Edward told his family we'd mutually agreed to a break up so I could contemplate my future. Of course, they thought I must be a real bitch to desert him in his time of need, but he claimed he didn't tell me of his illness at all, so then they couldn't blame me. They were shocked to find out how he lied and to know I'd been mourning for them all this time. Edward had no idea I loved him and his family so much, because his feelings for me weren't as strong as mine for him. He only loved the idea of me, not who I really am. He wanted to mold me into someone entirely different. He thought I'd agree to getting married right out of high school and start popping out babies. He's delusional."

Charlie scowled. "I'm glad you gave him the boot. I noticed the way he was always condescending toward you, even though he used flowery words of praise and adoration. He seemed more obsessive and possessive than loving and caring. Whenever you two disagreed about something, you'd start to stand up for yourself, and then suddenly you'd become passive, submissive, agreeing to do things his way. It greatly disturbed me, and honestly, I used to watch you carefully, looking for signs of physical abuse. Your personality was changing, becoming subverted to his, and you started withdrawing from your friends, becoming isolated. There were a lot of red flags in your relationship."

I sighed and nodded in agreement, remembering the way he'd frequently dazzled me to get his way. "Yeah, he never really listened to me. He thought my opinions were immature, that I didn't know my own mind. That was probably the biggest clincher to tell me he wasn't the right guy for me. He's got this weird, antiquated idea that the guy in a relationship should make all the decisions, and I finally realized he never saw me as an equal and never would. Originally, I let him get away with making decisions for us without arguing, because I put him up on a pedestal. I felt insecure and believed he _did_ know best, because he was so much more confident and worldly than I was. I had a bit of hero worship going on, because he was always saving me – Tyler's van, Port Angeles, Phoenix. . ."

"Wait, what happened in Port Angeles?" Charlie demanded.

"Oh, I got lost in a bad part of town and four drunk guys were following me with less than honorable intentions. Luckily, Edward was driving by and saw me, so he stopped and offered me a ride. I hopped in and we drove away. That was the night I went shopping with Jessica and Angela. That's when I first started getting to know him," I admitted, waving my hand dismissively.

Charlie had frozen in place, tense and pale. He shook himself as I moved on with my dialogue. "He was always catching me whenever I tripped. He loved feeling like a superhero, saving the damsel in distress. It was a novelty for me at first, to be taken care of so thoroughly by someone else, when I'd always been used to fending for myself and taking care of others. It was kind of like I could finally relax and just be a kid for once, you know."

"What do you mean? Your mom took care of you, didn't she?" Charlie asked, disgruntled.

I scoffed. "Charlie, I've been balancing her checkbook since I was 6 years old. I started earning money to put food on our table at age 10 via petsitting, babysitting, and other odd jobs, whatever I could find a neighbor willing to pay me to do. Before I learned to cook, I ate nothing but peanut butter sandwiches every night for dinner, because that's all I knew how to make. Even when I was a toddler, Renee would just point me toward the pantry when I was hungry or toss me a piece of bread with nothing on it. She left me to my own devices for hours on end, not wanting to pay a babysitter, while she went off and did her own thing, whether working or playing. I got new clothes from the Goodwill twice a year, just before I'd come visit you in summer and again before your visit at Christmastime. I worked hard to keep them clean and in good repair. I learned how to sew out of necessity. Everything I needed to know I learned from sweet little old ladies in the neighborhoods wherever we lived, until they would begin asking awkward questions about why I was alone so much. Then Renee would move us, before Child Protective Services could be called in to investigate."

Charlie stared at me, horrified. "I had no idea! I'm so sorry, Bella. I thought you'd be better off with your mother, or else I'd have fought for custody!"

I shrugged.

He furrowed his brow, "Is that why you took over all the cooking, cleaning, and laundry when you came here? I mean, it's normal for kids your age to have chores and contribute to the running of the household in preparation for living on your own once you graduate, so I was glad you stepped up to the plate without me having to force the issue. I guess I should've questioned why you were being so responsible, unlike most teenagers, who whine and complain about having to do the least little thing."

I shrugged again. "Hey, it's no big deal. I don't mind taking care of you. At least you pay all your own bills, so I don't have to worry about whether or not we'll have electricity or running water on any given day."

He shook his head. "Bella, you don't have to take care of _me_. I've been taking care of myself for the past 18 years. I was just trying to ensure you knew how to take care of _yourself_, since you'll soon be on your own, once you leave for college."

"Dad, you didn't have any food in your fridge or pantry when I got here," I reminded him. "Do you want to end up with a heart attack like your friend Harry?"

He scowled at me. "Harry was ten years older than me and had a heart condition. While he did have the beginning stages of heart disease, it wouldn't have affected him yet if he didn't already have a congenital defect. It was genetic, not just poor diet and lack of exercise. I'm in excellent shape, Bella, and perfect health. I get a physical every year, and I exercise daily. My cholesterol and blood pressure are well within acceptable limits."

I raised my eyebrows skeptically. "Okay, if you say so."

He sighed. "I tried to give you your space, because I was remembering how much I hated for my mom to hover when I was your age. I'm sorry if that gave you the impression that I didn't care or that I wouldn't take care of you the way a father should. I didn't want to drive you away by being all up in your business. You always came to me so hard and withdrawn when you would visit over the summer. I didn't know how to reach you. You seemed so uncomfortable with mushy words and shows of affection that I eventually stopped both. It never occurred to me to ask _you_ why you didn't want to be hugged and cuddled like other kids your age. Renee told me it was just part of your personality, that you weren't the touchy-feely kind of person, and I wanted to respect that. I even brought you to the pediatrician and asked _him_ about it, when you were young, because I was worried something wasn't right. He told me he didn't see any signs or symptoms of abuse and claimed you were just slightly autistic, saying I should expect you to be uncomfortable with normal social interactions. That's why I never pushed it. I thought I was helping, but obviously, it _wasn't_ what you really _needed_."

I felt bad now. I had always dismissed Charlie as an inattentive parent, though not in the same neglectful way as Renee. I had never given him a chance to be the kind of parent I wanted, never allowed him close emotionally.

"I'm sorry, Dad," I whispered. He smiled and pulled me into a hug. This time I accepted it, melting against him instead of standing tense and rigid in his arms. He tightened his embrace slightly, making me feel safe and loved. I could feel the difference. In the past, I had always been the one holding him at arm's length, unwilling to trust him as a result of Renee's neglect. I had transferred my own emotional awkwardness onto him. He had merely been responding to _my_ awkwardness, while I had thought we were both emotionally distant people.

For the first time, I entertained thoughts of what my childhood might have been like if Charlie had gotten custody of me instead of Renee. She never wanted me around, and only kept me because of the check Charlie sent every month like clockwork. She felt like I held her back from experiencing life to its fullest. Yet she was happy to have Charlie financing her adventures.

"No, _I'm_ sorry, sweetie," he whispered back. "I never knew you were robbed of your childhood. You never said anything when you came to visit. I tried to do right by you, but I guess I understand now why you were such a solemn little thing that didn't seem to know how to play. I should've recognized there was something wrong, shouldn't have known the doctor was wrong, even though you never complained. I've been trying to treat you like an adult ever since you moved here, because age wise that's what you are, but I didn't know you needed more from me. I didn't realize you'd see that as more neglect."

I felt guilty then, looking back over my interactions with Charlie for the past year. I could see now how he was always there for me, just waiting for me to come to him. Every day he would ask me questions about what was going on in my life, trying to reach me, to know me, but I would usually reply with vague single word answers. Whenever I approached him while he was watching tv, he never failed to mute the volume and give me his undivided attention. He never forgot to give me money for groceries and often did little things to take care of me, like putting the snow chains on my tires and performing all the routine maintenance on the truck for me. He'd gotten me the truck in the first place so I could have my independence and my dignity, not having to constantly be carted around by him in his police car.

Every weekend he'd offer to stay with me, to spend time with me doing whatever I wanted, but I always pushed him away, encouraging him to spend time with his friends instead, telling him I wanted to be alone. Whenever Renee had offered to stay with me, she had never wanted me to accept. She wanted me to reassure her it was fine to leave me by myself while she went off and had fun with her friends. When she did stay home with me, she'd become passive aggressive and end up making us both miserable, so I'd quickly learned it was better to send her away.

I had assumed it would be the same with Charlie. Looking back at my memories with my new perspective of Charlie, I could finally recognize the hurt in his eyes every time I practically shoved him out the door, sending him away, shutting him out of my life. He really had wanted to be with me, to bond with me. He enjoyed having me around, spending time with me.

"I love you, Bells," he murmured into my hair. "You'll always be my little girl, no matter how old you get or what you choose to do with your life. I'll always be here for you. I may not always agree with you or like the choices you make, but I _do_ promise to always be supportive of you and love you til the end of time."

"I love you too, Dad," I whispered, choking back tears.

**xxxxxxx**

**AN**: **I had to write the second half of this chapter 3 times, because it kept disappearing**! The first time was on Microsoft Works, when the computer just up and restarted for no apparent reason. So I uploaded what I had, switched computers, and rewrote the second half in Doc Manager under the edit function. I don't know what I accidentally pressed, but just as I finished, the page reloaded, erasing everything I'd been working on for the past hour. At this point, I was pretty doggone frustrated and was wondering if the universe just didn't like this chapter. Still I buckled down and wrote it again, for the third time, saving every few sentences to be safe.

**So PLEASE review**, so I know it was worth all the frustration I endured to get it to you. Thanks!


	13. Heated Words

**Heated Words**

I woke up Sunday morning to find a sexy Southern soldier sitting on the bed beside me, his golden gaze locked on my face. _Hot damn, my dreams came to life!_ I thought excitedly. _Except he has too many clothes on . . . _

I watched his eyes darken and a knowing smirk light up his face. "Well, good morning to you too, gorgeous," he drawled, lifting my hand up to his face and placing a kiss on the sensitive skin of my palm. I instinctively closed my hand, clutching the kiss in my fist afterward, clinging to the sensations.

"What are you doing here?" I asked curiously, smiling up at him, happy to see him.

He grinned. "I'm going with Esme to Seattle in a little while to pick up Rosalie and Emmett from the airport, and I wanted to speak to you before I left. I wasn't sure how you'd feel about finding me here uninvited, but I thought I'd take a chance."

I chuckled. "As you can tell, I'm definitely not offended. Consider yourself invited anytime."

"Hmmm, yes, I didn't sense any fear or upset at all in your emotions," he teased, his hand tracing its way up my leg over the covers. I could feel the coolness and the pressure through the blankets, and it sent my thoughts spiraling into a lustful direction. He paused just above my knee, then began drawing circles on my thigh with his fingers. My eyes were drawn to his hand as he made designs on top of the blanket, sending sparks into the skin just below it.

Giving into temptation, I sat up, reaching for him, throwing my arms around his neck, my lips finding his unerringly even as my eyes drifted closed. His fingers gripped my thigh firmly as his other arm wrapped around me, drawing me closer to him.

Charlie chose that moment to get up and shuffle into the hallway toward the bathroom, reminding us both of his presence. He shut the bathroom door firmly and turned on the shower. Groaning quietly, I pulled away. "You couldn't have sent him some lethargy or something to keep him asleep?" I complained, only half-jokingly.

Jasper winced and shook his head. His face contorted into a severely uncomfortable position and he avoided eye contact as he admitted, "The opposite, I'm afraid."

I furrowed my brow in confusion. Catching it in my emotions, he grimaced. "I forgot to reign in my emotions just now. Be glad you don't have super hearing, beautiful."

_He forgot to reign in his emotions? So that means Charlie must've gotten hit with his desire. Oh, gross. But why am I glad not to have super hearing? Oh . . . no! He can't mean Charlie is . . . in the shower? No! I take a shower in there! That's disgusting!_

Jasper chuckled as he felt my understanding and resultant repugnance. "Your father is still a young man, only 36. These days, most men his age have one or more children under the age of five and consider themselves to still be in the prime of their life. Nobody likes to think of their parents as being sexual creatures, but the fact is, he's a virile male who needs to find release somehow."

I childishly stuck my fingers in my ears, chanting, "Ew, ew, ew! Remind me to bleach the shower before I use it again."

"Sure thing, darling," Jasper laughed. "Whatever makes you feel better."

I leaned against his chest and inhaled his scent. Instead of calming me, it made me cough. I wrinkled my nose and pulled back to look in his eyes. "Why do you smell like burnt vampire?"

He sighed, confessing, "I found another seven scents down in Portland last night. I destroyed five of them, but the other two escaped into the water before I could track them down. I haven't been back to the house to shower or change my clothes yet, because I didn't want to miss you. I know you agreed to spend the day with Leah today, and I wasn't sure what time you'd be heading over there."

"Oh, yeah, I forgot about that," I muttered, remembering my brief conversation with Sam. I couldn't stop myself from looking him over for signs of injury. "Are you okay? Did you get hurt at all?"

He grinned cockily. "Darling, it was all over before they even knew what hit them. I haven't gotten any new scars for a long, long time. Most of the ones that cover me came from my first decade, before I mastered my gift."

I smiled and gave him a kiss. "Good, I'm glad to hear it."

His phone buzzed with a text, and he growled, choosing to ignore it and deepen the kiss instead. It buzzed again, and he reluctantly leaned back, pulling it out of his pocket to read it. He rolled his eyes, informing me, "Carlisle wants an update on the newborn situation before he goes to work."

I heard my dad whistling as he came out of the bathroom and headed back to his bedroom. Wincing from knowing the reason why Charlie was so happy this morning, I hugged Jasper and encouraged him to get on home to bring Carlisle up to speed. "It's not a good thing to know Victoria's keeping newborns in other cities too," I murmured, unsettled. "Though I'm glad you got most of them last night. She'll probably start rallying her troops together now that she knows you're targeting them."

He nodded and gave me a short, sweet goodbye kiss before disappearing out the window. Gathering my things for my shower, I reluctantly headed into the bathroom. I pulled the cleaning products out from under the sink and thoroughly sprayed all the tiles with bleach, rinsing it twice, before I dared step into it.

As soon as I was dressed, I headed downstairs. Charlie was already eating a bowl of cereal, but he paused to greet me when I came in the room.

"Hey, Dad," I responded brightly. "Are you heading over to the reservation this morning?"

He frowned. "Well, I need to check on Sue some time today, but it doesn't have to be this morning. What did you have in mind?"

"Oh, I promised to spend some time with Leah today, so if you were headed that way, I figured we could ride together," I suggested.

He beamed happily. "Sure, Bells, I'd love to. I didn't know you were friends with Leah."

I grimaced, admitting, "To be honest, I'm not, but I figured she could use a friend right now, so . . ." I trailed off, unsure of how to say what I meant in a positive way.

To my relief, he seemed to understand without further explanation. "That's great, honey! I'm proud of you."

**xxxxxxx**

"Oh, Charlie!" a woman sobbed, opening the front door and throwing herself into my father's arms. He caught her adeptly, as if used to having women throwing themselves at him. It startled me, and I nervously shifted in place behind him. The movement triggered the woman's attention to focus on me.

Her eyes widened when she saw me, then her brows furrowed. "Oh, uh, Bella, hi," she muttered, pulling away from my dad self-consciously. "What are you doing here?"

"I came to see Leah," I told her, guessing this must be Sue.

She flinched and shook her head, protesting emphatically, "Oh, no, I don't think that would be a good idea! She's really not in the mood for visitors."

I frowned, admitting, "Sam sent me. I promised I would spend the day with her today."

Sue's eyes widened, and she opened and closed her mouth several times before nodding once abruptly, her expression filled with concern. "She's in her room, second door on the left." She pointed toward the hallway, biting her lip nervously.

"Thanks," I muttered, moving past her and heading toward Leah's room. I knew from Emily that Leah was blaming herself for her father's death and was taking everything really hard. I didn't expect this to be easy, but I hoped to be able to help her, maybe talk her through it.

I knocked on the door and waited a few seconds. It was torn open by grief-stricken girl only slightly older than me, who looked like she hadn't slept in days. The pain in her eyes instantly turned to rage as she realized who I was.

"What the hell are _you_ doing here?! This is all _your_ fault!" she shrieked. "It's _your_ fault I turned into a giant, furry dog and killed my father!"

I stared at her, taken aback. "_My_ fault? You're blaming _me_ for this now? Are you high on crack?"

She snarled angrily, retorting, "You're the one the psycho bitch is trying to kill, right? You're the reason she keeps coming here, making us shift. Why the hell should we protect _your_ ass? You're not part of our tribe, you're just a stupid paleface who brought this on herself!"

"I didn't ask her to start a crazy vendetta against me! And Charlie was one of your dad's closest friends! If she gets through, she'll kill him in a heartbeat. You going to just sit back and let him die just because you don't like me?" I challenged.

"You knew Cullen was a fucking vampire, but you chose to date his corpse anyway! Then, when he dumped your ass in the woods and left you to die, you got your hooks into Jacob. What's wrong with you?! First a vampire, then a werewolf! What? You only date monsters? Human boys not good enough for you?"

"I didn't have a choice! You know about imprinting, how the supernatural bond forms and takes away your free will, choosing your soul mate for you no matter who else gets hurt in the process!" I yelled.

"Yeah, I know," she huffed bitterly. "All too well. What's that got to do with anything? You've lost your champion now that Jacob has imprinted on the former leech. I may know how that feels, but don't think I feel sorry for you because of it."

I rolled my eyes. "I was trying to say the vampires do the same thing, only they call them mates instead of imprints. I was bonded to Edward through a supernatural pull that I couldn't resist or ignore, just like Emily is to Sam."

She stared at me for a few seconds in consternation, then shook her head, a stubborn look settling on her face. "It's not the same, because Alice was mated with Diablo and now she's Jacob's imprint, so obviously the wolf bond is stronger."

I snorted. "Alice was Jasper's mate, yes, but that supernatural bond broke when she became human, just as my bond with Edward broke when he became human again. Alice was the source of their bond, so when she was no longer a vampire, the supernatural pull disappeared."

She sneered. "Nice try, but what about the doc? He's still bonded with his now human wife. The empath showed us all how he felt, remember?"

I lifted an eyebrow. "That's because their supernatural bond originated with Carlisle. Since he's still a vampire, it's still in place."

"Yeah, but Jasper's still a bloodsucker, so why is their bond gone, hmmm?" she countered.

"Because Alice fell in love with Jasper through her visions _decades_ before they ever met in person. Her side of the bond was already formed when she finally tracked him down and declared their mate status to him. Thus, their bond originated from her, and she changed. Once her visions faded away with the transformation, and she was no longer bombarded with seeing her future with him on a regular basis, she began contemplating a future without him. Their bond changed because she did."

"Oh," she muttered crossly. "Fine, then it's the Cullens' fault for coming here in the first place. First they screwed up my relationship, making Sam change, then they screwed up my whole life by making me change."

"You're blaming the Cullens for turning into a wolf? That's Utlapa's fault!" I protested.

"What? What the hell are you talking about?"

"Don't you remember your own legends? Emily and Kim brought Alice and me up to speed on Friday. Taha Aki bonded with the wolf after Utlapa stole his body. Your people were turning into wolves to protect against traitors within the tribe long before they ever encountered their first Cold One. There were three wolves already phasing before the Cullens arrived here the first time and make the treaty with Ephriam. No additional wolves phased back then, even though there were five Cullens. Plus, the Cullens lived here for well over 2 years before Sam shifted for the first time, so obviously the Cullens don't cause the shifting. It must've been triggered by a human drinker passing through the area, which would've been a threat to your tribe," I explained.

She grimaced, crossing her hands over her chest defensively.

Taking pity on her, I offered, "Look, I realize you need someone to blame for all the bad stuff that's happened to you. Personally, I blame the universe itself. After all, that's the reason vampires, werewolves, and spirit warriors exist in the first place. You could blame Utlapa for betraying the tribe, Taha Aki for bonding with the wolf, then passing the ability down to his children. You could blame your parents for giving birth to you, passing down the wolf genes from both sides. You could blame Sam for not telling you the truth when he first shifted and for choosing not to simply be Emily's best friend after imprinting on her. You could blame Emily for accepting the imprint, for needing the kind of romantic soul mate love Sam could offer, when everyone knows the wolf will be whatever his imprint needs him to be. You could blame your parents for keeping the truth from you when they knew what Sam had become and why he was with Emily and for ignoring the symptoms that you would be shifting soon, yelling at you for the mood swings you couldn't help, while they were watching for those exact same symptoms in your brother."

Leah shook her head. "They didn't know girls could shift too. That's why Dad had a heart attack, the shock," she whimpered, looking away as her eyes filled with tears.

"Well, shame on both of them for being so sexist they couldn't see what was right in front of their faces. It's not like they hadn't already seen half a dozen other teenagers go through it," I pointed out grimly. She furrowed her brows, realizing the truth of my statement, but feeling the need to defend her parents. "Even so, if your dad didn't have a congenital heart defect, he'd have been able to get over it, like your mother did. So blame the universe, or his parents, for his heart condition."

Her face fell, her indignation fading.

I sighed. "The only real villain in all this is James."

She shot me a look of confusion. "Who's James?"

"Victoria's mate. The one who was killed, causing her to start her psycho, rage-filled vendetta. He was the reason Alice became a vampire in the first place. He came here looking for trouble. If I hadn't been in the field that day, if he hadn't decided to hunt me for sport, he still would've picked a fight with the Cullens to kill Alice, because she was the only prey of his that ever got away. Then Jasper still would've killed him, only to protect his mate instead of me, and Victoria still would've gone crazy, trying to get revenge."

"He hunted you?" she asked, not having heard the story I told the others yet.

"Yeah, last year" I admitted. "I ran away to Phoenix to prevent him from coming after my dad, since he tracked me to Charlie's house, but that only led him to my mom's house instead. He stole one of my old home movies and used the voice on it to trick me into thinking he had my mom. I snuck away from Jasper and Alice, who were protecting me, because he told me if I came alone, he'd let her go."

She shot me a look and I nodded. "Yeah, I know, that was really stupid of me. If he did have her, he'd never have spared her, so my sacrifice was for nothing. He tortured me, tossing me around like a rag doll, breaking my bones, and bit me too, before the cavalry arrived and destroyed him." I showed her the scar James had given me.

"He bit you? Why aren't you a bloodsucker too then?" she demanded.

"Edward didn't want me to become a vampire, so he sucked out the venom. He would've killed me in the process, but Jasper stopped him before he drained me dry."

"Edward didn't want you to be a vampire?" Leah asked, confused. "But weren't you his mate?"

I rolled my eyes and nodded. "Yeah, but he fought our bond. He hated what he was and eventually left me, refusing to accept our fate. He wanted me to remain human, not realizing how devastating it would be for me, just like how a wolf would feel if his acknowledged imprint ultimately rejected him."

"Oh, so that's why you became catatonic," she suddenly realized. "From the pain. You couldn't function with half your soul missing."

"Exactly," I confirmed.

"So how did he become human again? I didn't think that was possible," she wondered.

"It was a witch's curse, meant to be a punishment, but he was so thrilled, he called all his family members to come be cursed too. The Cullens always drank animal blood because they didn't want to be monsters. They tried to make the best of the life they'd been given, but most of them had regrets about what they'd become. The women in particular hated that they couldn't have babies, though apparently, that was a major factor for Edward as well. So all but Carlisle and Jasper asked the witch for her curse, without thinking of the potential consequences. Even after the witch admitted it was a curse, not a blessing, they didn't stop to wonder if they were really getting what they asked for and what good would come from a spell based on hatred," I shared, disgruntled. "Now they're not only vulnerable to Victoria, but their existence as humans who know the secret is illegal. If the Volturi, the kings who rule the vampire world, find out, they'll be killed. It's against the law for humans to know vampires are real, and the punishment is death, both for the humans who know and the vampires who told them."

"Well, why the hell did they tell _you_ then?" Leah demanded. "Doesn't that give you a death sentence?"

I nodded. "Yes, but _they_ didn't tell me, Jake did. He broke the treaty by telling me the legends of the tribe, specifically the ones about what the Cullens were. The Cullens chose to overlook Jake's breach of the treaty since I was Edward's mate and because they prefer to live in peace. I knew something wasn't right after Edward saved me from being crushed by Tyler's van with a very obvious show of superhuman strength and speed, but vampires didn't even cross my mind until Jake told me. Then, after Edward save me from a gang of rapists in Port Angeles, knowing where I was by reading their minds and seeing their intentions, I confronted him with the knowledge I'd acquired, and we finally started dating, since I already knew what he was. He'd kept his distance trying to keep their secret and trying to prevent the future Alice had seen of me becoming a vampire someday."

"So it's our fault?" Leah asked, her face crumpling. "Now what?"

"Now we kill Victoria before she can go to Volterra and inform the kings about the wolves and the Cullens' change of status, because if she succeeds, the whole Volturi Guard will come and wipe out all of us. Caius, one of the kings, has worked for centuries to eradicate the existence of werewolves all around the world, so he'd destroy your whole tribe to prevent the wolf genes from being passed on to the next generation. Apparently, he's done that kind of thing before."

"Damn! I hate the whole supernatural world! I just wanted to be a regular girl, get married to my high school sweetheart, settle down, and have lots of beautiful babies! Sam and I would've been married with a little one on the way by now if everything hadn't been suddenly and violently derailed by mystical shit," she complained.

_Seriously? What century is she living in?_ I wondered. _Who does that these days?_

"Well, I'm sorry things haven't worked out for you the way you had planned, but obviously Sam wasn't the best guy for you or else he would've imprinted on you, right?" I murmured, trying to be helpful.

She glared at me, and I realized that probably wasn't what she wanted to hear.

"Uh, I mean, _damn_, the universe really _sucks_!" I commiserated. Her lips twitched, but she was able to prevent herself from smiling in response.

The door behind me suddenly popped open, and Seth stuck his head out into the hallway. "Now that you two are no longer about to come to blows, I thought I'd remind you that Charlie is only a few feet away in the living room and has heard every word you two have spoken, despite Mom's best attempts to distract him."

_Oh, shit!_

**xxxxxxx**

**AN:** How was that?


	14. The Cat's Out of the Bag

**The Cat's Out of the Bag**

"Seth!" I hissed. "Why didn't you warn us sooner?"

He shrugged. "Well, it caught his attention the moment Leah yelled about a psycho bitch trying to kill you, and I started to come say something, but before I even got to my door, Leah shouted about Cullen being a vampire and Jacob being a werewolf, so I figured the damage had already been done. Plus, Leah's been trigger happy about phasing for the past few days, so I didn't want to take a chance of her losing it close to you the way Sam did to Emily. Besides, the conversation has been quite enlightening and entertaining. I think we've all been riveted."

I looked down the hallway, and Charlie stepped around the corner, his features forbidding._ Crap! I should've known better. I didn't even make it out of the hallway and into Leah's room. I can't believe after all this time keeping the secrets I blew it in a matter of minutes simply because I lost my temper. Yeah, she started it, but I confirmed everything she said and added so much of my own._

I bit my lip nervously. "Um, in my defense, I only lied to protect _you_, Dad. It's a death sentence for you to know the truth."

He scowled. "You think that makes me feel better?"

I sighed. "If you'd been in my shoes, you'd have kept it from me to protect _me_, right?"

"Of course," he admitted, running his hands through his hair, then stroking his mustache. "I don't even know where to begin, Bella. I suggest all three of you come join Sue and me in the living room. I have a lot of questions, and I _will_ get answers."

I exchanged looks with Leah and Seth, and we all shuffled along after him, taking perches on the furniture in the living room. Sue looked at me, her countenance troubled. "Vampires imprint too?" she asked, her brows furrowed.

I nodded. "They use different terminology, but it's essentially the same, yes. They call it a soul mate bond. Edward basically imprinted on me, so I felt drawn to him by a mystical magnetic pull. I needed him like I needed air, even though from a human perspective we were a very poor match."

Sue nodded grimly. "So you really didn't have a choice then. I could never understand why you gravitated to him before, but it makes sense now."

"This mystical mate mumbo jumbo is over now though, right?" Charlie questioned, his dark gaze intent as he stared me down. "Since he became human due to a witch's curse."

I looked at him carefully, watching him for signs of shock, heart attack, or stroke, but he seemed to be handling it amazingly well. _Guess I got being good with weird from my dad's side of the family_. I nodded. "Yeah, the pull is completely gone, which is why I'm suddenly completely fine."

Charlie tilted his head, but kept his eyes locked with mine. "So you _were_ catatonic because he left you, and not because you thought they were all dying or dead."

Sue touched Charlie's arm, surprisingly coming to my defense. "The same thing would happen to Jacob if Alice were to suddenly reject him and leave without any means of contact. He would cease being able to function, becoming a mere shell of himself until she returned, and if she died, he would die soon after. Bella's response makes sense given the supernatural nature of their bond."

"How could I explain it without risking your life, by telling you the stuff of myths and legends was real?" I offered with a heavy sigh. "Besides, you've seen the way Alice looks now. That's a result of what happened to her in her human life before she was changed into a vampire. Becoming human again may not be the same as contracting a wasting disease, but it was the most rational explanation that fit the evidence. It _was_ true that I was sworn to secrecy and couldn't tell you without getting the Cullens in trouble with the government, only it was with the vampire government, not the human one."

Charlie frowned and narrowed his eyes. "So Edward Cullen was your soul mate and was supposed to turn you into a vampire so you could be together for eternity. Instead he risked your life to keep you human, sucking out the venom when you were bitten by this James character, and nearly killing you in the process. Why did Jasper have to help him?"

Sue's eyes widened, and she added, "Yeah, I wondered about that too! Shouldn't the bond have stopped him from hurting you?"

"Shouldn't the bond have stopped Sam from hurting Emily?" I countered.

"That was an accident! He was devastated by what he'd done, and the scars are a constant reminder!" Sue protested.

I nodded. "It would've been an accident if Edward had killed me, and he would've been utterly devastated. He had even contemplated suicide if I didn't survive. However, when vampires feed, they are in a kind of blood haze similar to a shark frenzy. They operate entirely on instinct and aren't functioning on a conscious level. That's not to say they can't control themselves when exposed to blood. Obviously, Carlisle operates on patients and gets splattered with blood on a regular basis, but he's never drank human blood even once in the over three and a half centuries of his existence. For some reason, my blood called to Edward more than anyone else's blood, making it exceptionally difficult to resist. He said it was like his personal brand of heroin. It's a rare phenomenon in the vampire world, but when it happens, the human doesn't usually survive for more than a few seconds."

"How could you have been his mate then?" Charlie wondered.

I shrugged. "I don't know. It doesn't make sense. Must've been some kind of cosmic joke. My blood was basically the perfect meal for him. So when he started drinking, his body didn't want to stop. It was the best thing he'd ever tasted, quenching his thirst like nothing else ever had. Since he was resisting the bond, rejecting the idea of me giving up my human life and my ability to have babies, then his love for me wasn't stronger than his lust for my blood. Jasper can sense and change the emotions of others, so he sent Edward his own love for Alice to give Edward the strength to pull away. If Edward had accepted our bond, he'd have let me change then, or would have loved me enough to stop on his own. He wouldn't have been able to leave me last fall, because he would've been just as crippled by our separation as I was."

"I'm glad he rejected the bond and left, because it led to him becoming human and setting you free. He wasn't the right man for you," Charlie declared.

I gave him a dirty look, even though I agreed with him, because it still hurt like hell to go through all that shit. _Now I know how Leah felt when I said that about Sam not being the man for her._ I shot a glance in her direction and saw a sympathetic glimmer in her eyes before she looked away.

"Unfortunately, that doesn't fix any of the other dangers he brought on you," Charlie sighed. "We still need to worry about Victoria and the Volturi coming after you."

"Not to mention Victoria's vampire army," I muttered in agreement.

Sue's eyes widened, and she put a hand over her heart, gasping. _Oh, shit! I hope her heart's good. The last thing we need is Leah and Seth losing their mom from shock over supernatural stuff too_. "Jasper's already killed eight of them!" I hastily added, hoping that would help relieve her mind. Leah and Seth definitely looked impressed.

"Jasper's been killing people?" Charlie asked in disbelief.

"Vampires, Dad. He's been killing vampires whose sole purpose in life is to kill _me,_" I clarified. I could see it wasn't really helping, so I continued, "It's not just him. Jacob and the others killed one too. This is _war_, Dad. It's them or us. They're human drinkers. They kill people all the time just to survive, drinking them dry. You remember all the hikers you thought were killed in animal attacks? And all the unexplained disappearances recently in Seattle?"

His eyes widened with comprehension. "Oh!"

We all waited quietly for a few minutes as the wheels kept turning in Charlie's mind. This time he turned narrowed eyes on Sue. "So you, Harry, and Billy all knew my daughter was dating a vampire and didn't think I had a right to know?"

Sue winced. "We couldn't tell you, Charlie. It was against the rules."

"Really? Last time I checked, Billy was the head of the Council and Harry was one of the elders. I find it hard to believe they couldn't have pushed for an exception given my relationship to the tribe. Billy has been my best friend, the man I considered a _brother_ for the past 30 years!" Charlie countered.

Sue sighed. "I'm sorry, Charlie. It would've broken the treaty, which could've meant war between the Cullens and the tribe."

He scowled. "Yet Jacob had already broken the treaty for a girl he barely knew, and the Cullens chose to let it go. I suppose I shouldn't be surprised none of you confided in me. You didn't even tell your own daughter the truth after what happened with Sam, when she clearly had a right to know. It probably would've saved Harry's life too if you had, because she would've known what was happening to her instead of getting caught off guard like that. Not only that, but you _expected_ your son to change and didn't warn him either. That's just asking for trouble."

Sue hung her head in shame.

He narrowed his eyes as something else occurred to him. "Wait a minute. Jake is a wolf, and you all knew he could imprint at any time. You _knew_ he didn't imprint on my daughter, and you _knew_ how Leah felt when Sam deserted her for Emily. Yet Jacob still continued to pursue Bella, and you all not only allowed it, you _encouraged_ it! How _dare_ he?! Did you all want him to break Bella's heart the way Sam hurt Leah?"

Sue hugged herself and shook her head with a sob. "Imprinting is supposed to be rare."

I snorted, rolling my eyes. _As if that's a good excuse. It doesn't seem all that rare to me._

Charlie turned to me with understanding in his eyes. "Is that why you never gave Jake a chance? You knew he could imprint and leave you at anytime, no matter how deep your relationship was before that. I remember Sam and Leah seemed very much in love before he suddenly broke off their engagement. You and I talked about that a few weeks ago."

I nodded. "That was part of it. The wolves didn't even tell me about what happened to Leah - I figured it out for myself after our conversation. The pack never mentioned that Sam was in love with someone else before he imprinted on Emily. Still, Jacob claimed the whole imprinting thing was rare, so I was actually considering trying to make the best of things and agreeing to be with him before we encountered Edward and Alice the other night. Of course, once I knew the truth about Edward, my heart and soul were whole again, and I could have offered Jacob a real relationship, but he promptly imprinted on Alice, so it became a moot point."

**xxxxxxx**

Charlie decided to go confront Billy without me, assuring me he'd get a ride back to the house later. I got a text from Jasper telling me Carlisle had news and had called a family meeting, so I headed over to their house.

Jasper was out of the house and waiting to open my door by the time I parked. I grinned as he stole a quick kiss before helping me out of my truck. I wrapped my arms around him, resting my head on his chest and breathing in his scent. "We need to talk," I told him with trepidation.

"What is it?" he asked, his voice worried.

"I'll tell you later," I murmured, hearing Emmett's shout of joy.

"Bella's here!" He came barreling out of the house and over to me. "My turn!" he cheered, yanking me out of Jasper's embrace and spinning me around eagerly. "Hiya, sissy! I missed you!"

Laughing, I hugged him back, admitting, "I missed you too, Brother Bear. Life just wasn't the same without my big brother around to tease and torment me and scare off all the boys with crushes on me who wouldn't stop following me around no matter how many times I turned them down."

Rose had come out on the porch, following her husband at a more leisurely pace, and she beamed at me after hearing my words. "Hey, Bella! I'm sorry I was so mean to you before. I was just jealous that you had the opportunity to have children, something I wanted more than anything, and were throwing it away to be with Edward. But all of that's different now, so I hope we can be friends."

I looked at her skeptically, raising my brow. "I don't think that's going to be possible, Rosalie."

She frowned, putting her hands on her hips. "Why not?" Esme and Edward joined Rose on the front porch, openly listening to our conversation.

"You just said you want to be friends now that you can have children and now that I won't be throwing away my opportunity to have kids, right?" I responded.

She raised her eyebrows and nodded slowly.

I scoffed. "Well, honestly, Rose, I seriously doubt you can have children, not naturally anyway. I don't think you're really human at all, even though you seem like it at first glance. The witch intended your change to be a punishment, not a blessing. She hates vampires and cursed them as a means to get back at them for feeding from humans. Why would she allow them to bring children into the world, something most female vampires want more than anything, if her whole purpose is to make them miserable?"

Her eyes widened with consternation, and she rapidly began shaking her head in denial. "No, no, no! You must be wrong! What do you know?"

I shrugged. "Hey, I could be wrong, but Emmett's reaction to getting bitten is awfully suspicious. The other aspect is that I have no intention of having children. I don't like children, nor do I want to have any of my own. I took care of myself from the time I could crawl, then took care of my mother as well from the time I could read and write. I earned money to put food on my table taking care of other people's snot-nosed brats since I was ten. I never had time to play or watch tv or spend time with friends like normal kids. I had to cook, clean, and pay bills because my mom was too busy running around to do anything resembling responsibility. I spent every spare minute I had cleaning other people's houses, caring for their pets, and babysitting their kids to earn the money to make sure I had electricity and running water on a regular basis. Plus I received lectures and guilt trips every day of my life about how much I ruined my mother's life and held her back from health, happiness, fun, and adventure. I don't need or want the burden of a brat of my own weighing me down and making me miserable. So regardless of whether I remain human or someday become a vampire like Alice foresaw, I will be deliberately 'throwing away' my opportunity to bring children of my own into this world."

Rose's jaw had dropped during my rant, and she now blinked a few times, uncertain of how to react.

Raising my eyebrows, I added, "Look, I respect the fact you want children. If you can't have them naturally, you can always choose to adopt. Of course, that would've been an option when you were a vampire too, though I can understand your reluctance to take that risk. You could also consider fostering children or getting a job working with children. Both of those would've been possible before too. The point is, it's _your_ dream, not mine, and I'm willing to support you in your efforts to see _your_ dream come true for _you_, one way or another. If you can respect that I _don't_ want children, can get over your jealousy of my humanity, which is _your_ problem, not mine, and can recognize you have absolutely _no_ right to decide what's best for me, _then_ perhaps we can be friends."

The family was watching us curiously, deliberately staying out of it.

Rose narrowed her eyes and scowled. "I see you became a bitch while we were gone."

I shrugged. "Takes one to know one."

Her lips twitched and her eyes softened. "You may be right. I guess I'm stuck with you as a little sister, so I'm sure we'll learn how to get along eventually."

I grinned and chuckled. "Believe it or not, I missed you Rosalie."

She raised her eyebrows in surprise. "Really? Amazingly enough, I somehow managed to miss you too, though mostly because Em was so sad to leave you behind."

I laughed, turning and giving Em a mock punch on his bicep. "Aw, thanks, Em!"

He pounced, putting me in a headlock and ruffling my hair. "Uncle!" I quickly shouted for mercy.

Emmett suddenly fell over guffawing, clutching his gut and laughing uproariously. I stared at him in shock, as tears started pouring down his cheeks from him laughing so hard. He started gasping, in between laughs, unable to catch his breath, "Ja . . . Ja . . . Jas . . ."

I finally caught on and turned to Jasper, seeing him smirking as he watched his brother writhing helplessly on the ground. "That's enough, Jasper," I declared with a giggle. "But thanks for defending my honor."

Rose hurried over and helped Emmett sit up, placing a comforting arm around his shoulders as he wiped the tears off his cheeks. "Man, your gift is a lot harder on humans than vampires," Em admitted, grinning up at Jasper. "It didn't used to matter if I laughed so hard I couldn't breathe, but now it does."

"I'll keep that in mind," Jasper drawled, smiling smugly.

Seeing that Emmett was fine, Rose came over to me, giving me a tentative hug. I returned it warmly, hoping for the best.

"I understand you feel that way about children now," she conceded, then smirked, as she quietly murmured, "However, I'm pretty sure Edward is set on having a houseful, so you may be rethinking your stance in a few years."

I nodded. "I know, which is precisely why he and I will never be together."

Her jaw dropped again. "W-what do you mean?" she stuttered, shocked.

I furrowed my brow. "You mean nobody told you yet? The bond between Edward and I dissolved when he became human. There's nothing holding us together anymore, and I realized we're not a good match. Our hopes and dreams for the future are widely different, so any type of romantic relationship between us would be doomed. I've moved on and have feelings for someone else now."

She narrowed her eyes, glaring harshly at me. "So it was merely the vampiric allure all along, wasn't it?"

I shook my head. "Not at all. Hey Jasper, can you demonstrate for her so she understands?"

Jasper showed her the love I had for Edward before he left, then the pain I felt afterward. He let her feel Edward's love for me and how much less it was than mine for him.

She was shaken by it, just as the others had been. "I'm sorry, Bella. I had no idea. I severely underestimated you."

I shrugged, forgiving her. "It's okay. I'm glad the pull is gone. He used to dazzle me every time I disagreed with him to force me into letting him have his way. It was emotionally abusive."

She turned widened eyes to Jasper, who confirmed it. "Yeah, he already admitted to it and was reamed out for it by Carlisle and Esme," Jasper informed her. "Alice used to do it to her too, every time she came over."

Rose gasped. "No wonder you always acted like their submissive little slave! They were brainwashing you with mind control! I can't believe none of us noticed!"

Em started stalking Edward, intending to beat the crap out of him, when Jacob and Alice arrived, drawing his attention instead.

"Why the hell is _he_ driving my car?" Rose demanded, her eyes spitting fire.

They hopped out of the convertible, and Alice came around the car to stand beside Jacob. "Because you gave it to _me_, and what's mine is his," Alice declared, wrapping her arms around Jacob's waist. He wrapped his arm around her shoulders and bent down to plant a loving kiss on top of her head.

Rose and Em stared gobsmacked between Jasper and the new couple. "What the hell?" they both shrieked in unison.

"Huh. Guess nobody told you about Alice either," I murmured. "This family has serious communication issues. Yeah, Alice's bond with Jasper didn't survive the transformation either. She's got a new soul mate now. Jacob imprinted on her a few days ago."

"The witch's curse," Rose mumbled, her eyes frightened as she turned to stare at Emmett. His eyes were just as scared, and he clung to her hands.

"Luckily for you two, you've worked hard enough on your relationship all these years that you still love each other as much as humans possibly can," Jasper comforted them. "It doesn't have the same depth or intensity as it did when you were vampires, but you still have a strong connection. I can't promise you'll be together forever, the way you would have previously, or that nothing will ever come between you now, which would've been impossible before, but you have as good a chance as any human couple possibly could."

"Yeah, after all, 50% of marriages _don't_ end in divorce," I added helpfully, remembering Esme's advice about looking at the positive side. "Hopefully yours will end up in that half."

Rose whimpered, Esme face palmed, Edward smirked, and Jasper shook his head. "Not helping," he whispered, though I could see a glimmer of amusement in his eyes.

"Oh, sorry," I murmured, not really feeling apologetic. _Shouldn't they have considered this possibility before they jumped into accepting the witch's spell? I wonder if Jasper is feeling vindicated for them not listening to his warnings. I know he didn't necessarily want to be right, because he didn't want them to be hurt, but he did try to make them stop and think about the possible ramifications of their decision. They could've waited long enough to run a few tests on Eddie boy before taking the plunge themselves._

Carlisle finally arrived, his Mercedes rolling slowly up the drive.

"Uh, oh," Jasper muttered, his eyes focused on the car.

Carlisle opened the door and got out, moving at the pace of an elderly man. His shoulders sagged, as if he carried the weight of the world on them, and his countenance was severely depressed. His eyes brushed over each of his family members, then he hung his head in shame. "I'm sorry," he declared, shuffling toward us as if every movement ached.

**xxxxxxx**

**AN:** Looks like Carlisle has bad news for everyone . . . .


	15. The Fit Hits the Shan

**The Fit Hits the Shan**

We all followed Carlisle inside, worried about whatever he had to tell us. My mind was whirling with possibilities. _Was it the test results or had Vicki made it to Volterra?_

Carlisle flopped down heavily onto the loveseat, making it groan in protest of the abuse, pulling Esme down onto his lap. He buried his face into her hair, taking deep pulls of her scent in an attempt to center himself.

We all settled into our places without a word. Edward joined Carlisle and Esme on the loveseat, looking frightened. Emmett and Rose sat down on the couch, cuddling into one another. Alice pulled Jacob over to the couch as well, pushing him down into the corner and curling up on his lap. I sank down into the easy chair where I had sat before, and leaned on the back of it, surreptitiously tangling up a tiny bit of my hair between his fingers to help ground himself.

After the past two days getting to know my own father, I no longer perceived Carlisle as the ultimate dad. My eyes were open to his limitations and imperfections. I was suddenly thankful I had Charlie in my life, and now that he knew the truth, he could stay in my life after Jasper changed me.

Carlisle sighed deeply and finally lifted his head. He had the look of a broken, burning man - his eyes empty and haunted.

Unable to take the silence any longer, Rosalie spat, "What? What is it? Is it Aro?"

Carlisle blinked, startled, and shook his head, furrowing his brow. "No, no, nothing like that," he murmured, realizing there were worse fates than whatever he'd discovered. "I got the test results back."

He paused, and everyone sat silently, tensely awaiting the verdict. His eyes found mine, reading the worry there. "Bella was right. You're not human."

I winced, knowing this would be devastating for my family. Seeing the distress on my face seemed to give him the strength to continue. He quieted the panicked cries from his changed family members, all demanding answers at the same time. "I checked DNA samples from Esme, Edward, and Alice. Vampires have 25 chromosome pairs, compared to 23 pairs for a human. You all have 24 pairs. Oddly enough, the wolves have 24 pairs also, based on samples I got from Jacob and Sam. The two wolves had similar DNA, and the three of you I tested share similar DNA markers as well, but there are distinct differences between you three and the wolves. So, you're not entirely human, nor are you shifters, but you're definitely not vampires anymore either."

"So what are we?" Emmett demanded, wrapping both arms around Rose and pulling her up against his chest.

Carlisle shook his head sadly. "I don't know. There's more bad news too, I'm afraid. When your blood is exposed to venom, it takes over the venom, instead of the other way around. That's why Emmett didn't react to the venom when he got bit. The venom was simply converted into his blood."

"So they _can't_ be changed back into vampires," Jasper reasoned.

Carlisle hugged Esme tighter and slowly shook his head. "It would appear not."

"What about the healing?" I wondered. "Emmett's neck healed right away, like a shapeshifter's."

Carlisle brought his troubled gaze back to me and nodded wearily, appearing exhausted. "Yes, it appears you guys have rapid healing. I can only postulate at this point, but I think any dreams of growing old may not be possible. The aging process in the human body is the deterioration of tissues that occurs over time. If you have rapid healing, if it is perfect, it stands to reason you will not age beyond your full maturity level. Humans don't finish growing until they are in their twenties, so most of you still have a few years to go to finish the growth process, but it is likely none of you will ever seem older than 25 no matter how many years pass."

Alice sobbed, and Jacob hurried to comfort her. "Hey, no worries, pix! As long as I keep shifting, I won't age either, so we can both stay young and healthy forever. That's not a bad thing!"

Carlisle looked at him curiously, filing away the new information. He was learning a lot about the shapeshifters and the similarities between them and whatever his family had become.

"What about . . .?" Rose trailed off, unable to bring herself to ask the question burning inside both her and Esme.

Carlisle hung his head, unable to look anybody in the eye as he admitted the next part, "I tested Edward. He's completely sterile."

Edward's face fell, becoming grief-stricken.

Feeling bad for the family, Jasper declared, "Well, that's nothing new. He was sterile before, so nothing changed."

Carlisle lifted his head to stare at Jasper despondently. "No, that's the worst of it. You and I have sperm, Jasper, energetic little swimmers. Edward doesn't have any sperm in his ejaculate at all. It's as if he's been neutered."

I blinked several times, trying to process this new information. "Wait, you have _sperm_? So what would happen if you had sex with a human? Or with a shifter?"

All of them turned to stare at me, wondering where I was going with this. I furrowed my brow. "Well, female vampires can't have children because their reproductive systems are frozen, right? They don't have menstrual cycles and their bodies don't change, but the same isn't true for _human_ females. You said your cousins, the Denali's are the origin of the succubus myth, because they like to have sex with human men. What about the incubus myth? Are there male vampires who have sex with human women and impregnate them?"

Carlisle stared at me wide-eyed. "I don't think that would be possible . . . . would it?"

Jasper raised an eyebrow. "To be honest, any vampires I've known who've had sex with human women didn't leave them alive long enough to find out. There are plenty who enjoy the heat of a human woman, but sex is usually just a prelude to dinner, combining lust and bloodlust together."

I scowled, muttering, "Typical males. All they think about is food and sex."

Emmett laughed uproariously, but stopped when everybody stared at him as if he were crazy. "What?" he pouted. "I thought a little comic relief would be good right about now."

I smirked at him, loving my big brother and his easy-going nature.

Rose scowled, "Look, that's all fine and dandy, but what we really want to know is whether or not the females are sterile too. Is Edward's situation a result of the curse or is it unique to him? Did you test him before?"

Edward blushed and shook his head, while Carlisle coughed uncomfortably and admitted, "Uh, no, I never thought of it before actually."

"Seriously?" I challenged. "You've been a doctor and a scientist for over three hundred years and you never wondered about the contents of your ejaculate? You've never fed from humans, but you were over two hundred years old when you met Esme. Were you a virgin? Did you ever sleep with a human? Is it possible you fathered kids and never knew it?"

Jasper smirked widely, sending waves of appreciative amusement into me.

Poor Carlisle looked like he wished the floor would open up and swallow him. "Uh, n-no, I n-never . . . um, I c-couldn't . . . I-I . . . No kids!" he stuttered.

"Dude! You mean to tell me you didn't have sex in over two hundred years?" Emmett challenged in disbelief.

Carlisle closed his eyes and swallowed hard. "I have not had sex with any human women since becoming a vampire," he declared emphatically. At least several of us caught the clarifying aspects of his remark.

"_Since_ becoming a vampire? Oh, ho! So the saintly little preacher's son had premarital sex _before_ he became a vampire?" Emmett exclaimed, rubbing his hands together with glee at putting his 'father' on the hot seat.

Carlisle groaned. "No, I never told any of you before, but I got married when I was 21. It was an arranged marriage - I met her the day of the wedding. My father only went into the clergy because it was expected of him as the third son of a viscount, which is why he only gave lip service to Christian principles and took enjoyment from pursuing witch hunts instead of helping the poor. That's the way it worked for the nobility and gentry back then. The first son would inherit the estate and title, the second would enter the military and try to distinguish himself enough to earn a title of his own, and the third would enter the church to earn a living in a respectable way to support himself and his family. Anna was the youngest daughter of a baron, with two older brothers and three older sisters. Her father couldn't afford much of a dowry for her, by the time it was her turn to marry, so we were considered an adequate match. She did get pregnant twice, but she lost the baby in the first trimester both times. I left a poor, defenseless widow behind to fend for herself - one of my biggest regrets. Are you happy now?"

"Oh, sorry, man. I never knew. You never said before," Em apologized. I could tell Esme and Edward were both surprised by what Carlisle had just revealed too. It certainly wasn't part of the story I'd learned back when I was dating Edward.

Carlisle nodded, starting to relax.

Unfortunately for him, Jacob chose that moment to pipe up, "You said you haven't had sex with _human_ women, not that you hadn't had sex at all."

If looks could kill, Jacob would've been speared to the couch from the sharpness of Carlisle's glare.

"Carlisle?" Esme asked, catching the glare and the tension in his body.

He looked down at her, chagrined. "I was all alone for 250 _years_, Esme. It gets depressingly lonely after a while. Vampires are sexual beings and those who are unmated naturally seek comfort and companionship in one another. I never touched another woman from the moment I met you, even though I left you behind out of a mistaken belief it would be better for you. I guess I was a lot like Edward in a way. I didn't want to change you, to take away your ability to have children, so I walked away as soon as I felt the tendrils of our bond forming, preventing it from taking hold."

"Like father, like son," I muttered bitterly. "Too bad Edward didn't learn from your mistake. After all, Esme went through so much heartbreak in the human life you forced on her, being beaten and raped regularly by her human husband and then forced to endure the death of her human son. Being human didn't work out so well for her, did it? And now we find out you have sperm and maybe could've given her a child after all if you'd taken her with you when you first met and let her stay human until she was closer to your age."

Everyone stared at me with varied expressions of horror on their faces. I shrugged. "What? If Carlisle had embraced what he is instead of hating and fearing it, he could've prevented all the pain Esme went through and possibly even had babies with her. I just don't get it! You're all so enamored of _humanity_ that you willingly subjected yourselves to a curse without thinking through the potential consequences, yet your human lives all _sucked_. I haven't heard a history yet that helps me understand why you would give up what you had as a vampire to return to it."

"Mine didn't!" Rose exclaimed. "My human life was perfect!"

Carlisle breathed a sigh of relief to have the focus off of him, but I was sure Esme would be revisiting the subject with him again later.

I listened sympathetically as Rose told me all about her childhood, her impending wedding, and then being beaten and raped by her fiance and his friends. "See?" she asked at the end.

I stared at her in disbelief. "See what? You just proved _my_ point! You were about to get married to a man who thought it was fun to beat and rape women with his friends. _That's_ the life you're sad about losing? If you had accepted the escort that night and avoided what happened, your live would've been even more of a living hell than _Esme's_ was! You think Royce would've treated you any better as a wife than he did as a fiance? You had parents who didn't care about you beyond how you could further their social aspirations and a piece of shit who would've beaten and raped you on a regular basis and abused or killed any children growing inside of you."

Narrowing my eyes, I continued, "Instead, you traded that life in for two loving parents who always put up with your bitchiness, more money than you could spend in multiple lifetimes, and a fairy tale wedding every decade to a man who loved and adored you with every particle of his being. Sure you had a nosy, annoying little brother to put up with, but you also gained a sister who showered you with presents at every turn and an older brother who was always there to help lift you up when you were feeling down. Plus you got your revenge on the bastards who hurt and killed you and became strong enough to make sure nobody else could ever do that to you again."

Taking a deep breath, I added, "I'm sorry, Rose, but I really don't understand how you could possibly have preferred your human life over your vampire one. All you really lost was your innocence, because the naive, schoolgirl dream of a bright future you've been clinging to all these years, the kind of life your friend Vera had, _never_ would've happened for you, even if you _had_ stayed human. If you wanted children in your life so badly, there's ways you could've pulled it off, even as a vampire. You could've been a nanny, a babysitter, a nursery worker, a short-term foster parent - the possibilities are endless. You could've adopted kids and used stage make-up to fake aging until you reached a point at which it would be reasonable to 'die' of old age. Sure it would've involved sacrifices, but if you wanted it badly enough, you would've done it. You could've had the whole grandchildren and great-grandchildren thing and even stayed in one place for 50 or 60 years. Life is what you make of it. Your life as a vampire was only so limited because you chose to whine about your problems instead of trying to come up with solutions."

Rose stared at me in consternation, bowled over by my interpretation of her life and seeing the unvarnished truth in my words. All the former vampires were lost in thought, processing the ideas I'd presented, the opportunities they'd wasted.

"Damn, Bells," Jacob bitched. "What is it with you and vampires? Why can't you understand being a vampire _sucks_!"

"Literally!" Emmett added, snickering. I shot him an appreciative grin and noticed Jasper did too.

"Actually, I loved being a vampire," Em admitted. "I never would've changed into this if it were up to me, but Rosie had her heart set on it, and I couldn't let her do it on her own. I had my reservations, but she wouldn't hear anything against it, so I figured 'in for a penny, in for a pound'. Whatever we do, we do together."

**xxxxxxx**

**AN:** So . . . reactions?

For my non-English speaking readers, the title should read "The Shit Hits the Fan". I just didn't want to put a curse word in a chapter title, so I used a spoonerism instead.


	16. Stuff and Nonsense

**AN:** A couple reviewers mentioned Carlisle should've run tests on Emmett and Rose too, so I just wanted to remind everyone that Em and Rose had just arrived at the house the same day Carlisle came home with the results of the tests run on the other family members. I know it can be hard to keep track of the timeline when you have to read it over the course of weeks, rather than all in one sitting. The Cullens showed up back in Forks Thursday evening, March 16th, and it is now late afternoon on Sunday.

**Stuff and Nonsense**

After our conversation concluded, Carlisle decided to bring Esme and Rose to the hospital with him to perform an ultrasound on their ovaries and had taken blood, tissue, and ejaculate samples from Emmett to compare to Edward's. The ladies were hanging on to the hope Edward was a fluke, thinking perhaps his sterility was caused by the influenza or the high fevers he had right before he was transformed.

Jasper drove me home so we could talk without being overheard by Edward or Jacob and Alice, who were staying to keep Edward company. Jasper's eyes were worried whenever he glanced over at me, likely because I was so nervous about telling him what Charlie had overheard, wondering how he would take it.

I distracted myself by thinking over the change in Emmett's and Rose's appearance now that they had been returned to their human state.

Rose was still a beautiful girl, but no longer caused me to feel like my self-esteem took a hit just by being in the same room. I could see why she'd been considered a beauty queen in her day. Her features were delicate, her complexion nearly flawless. However, in all honesty, she would probably be considered overweight by modern society. Her figure had lost the muscle tone and definition acquired by becoming a vampire and had reverted to her former softness. She was voluptuous and curvaceous, with wide child-bearing hips, ample cleavage, and a backside that was 'bootylicious'. She was definitely sexy, but with a body that screamed 'fertility goddess', a far cry from the anorexic stick-figures modern models present as the standard for feminine beauty.

Emmett was still strong, with clearly defined muscles rippling in his arms, chest, and back. I remembered that he was a Tennessee mountain man who worked hard for a living as a human. He'd performed manual labor on a daily basis to help put food on his family's table, and it showed in his incredibly fit physique. He still had his curls and dimples, with chocolate brown eyes similar to my own. His skin bore a healthy tan, with a few freckles scattered here and there. The only real flaw was his mouthful of crooked, chipped teeth. There was even a noticeable gap between the front two, and they all seemed to be stained a brownish yellow. He'd once told me he'd worked hard and played hard as a human, and I couldn't help wondering if he'd been fond of chewing tobacco. It was a fairly common practice in that area when he'd been alive.

These thoughts managed to keep my mind off of more troublesome things for the remainder of the drive, which helped me remain calm. I knew Jasper was steadily monitoring my emotions and didn't want to overwhelm him. He pulled the truck up beside the cruiser, and I hoped Charlie hadn't made it home from La Push yet.

It dawned on me that Jasper would know, would be able to hear his heartbeat if he was inside, so I asked him, "Is Charlie here?"

Jasper shook his head, replying, "No, the house is empty."

I gave a relieved sigh and a tight smile. "Let's go inside to talk then," I invited.

Jasper nodded and escorted me inside without another word. I gestured for him to settle down on the couch, but was too nervous to join him. Instead, I started to pace.

"What is it, Isabella?" Jasper inquired, frustration soaking his tone. "I can't make heads or tails of your emotions. Are you trying to break up with me?"

My eyebrows shot up in disbelief, and I frantically shook my head. "No! Of course not! I just . . . something happened with Charlie today and . . . I don't know how to tell you. I'm worried you're going to be mad. At me. . . _I_ am. . . and _I_ would be if our situations were reversed."

He furrowed his brows. "What happened? You were at La Push today, right? Oh! Did something happen with the wolves? Did he see them?"

I winced. "Close. I went to see Leah like I promised Sam I would."

He nodded encouragingly.

Biting my lip, I took a deep breath and continued, "As soon as Leah opened her bedroom door she started yelling at me, blaming me for Victoria coming around making her change into a wolf. She said it was my fault for dating a vampire. I didn't think about Charlie being in the house, I just responded to what she said. If I'd been thinking, I would've laughed at her and told her she was crazy, that vampires and werewolves didn't exist, but instead my replies to her accusations confirmed it all. My dad heard everything, so now he knows the truth."

Jasper had frozen as I started explaining, and I waited now for his reaction, afraid he would be angry, but believing I deserved it.

He pursed his lips and calmly inquired, "So what was his reaction?"

"Uh, well, he took it really well, maybe even better than I did when I found out," I admitted. "He's angry with Billy for not warning him his daughter was dating a vampire and for encouraging Jake to push me for a relationship while knowing he could imprint and leave me at any time."

Jasper nodded. "Yes, that was a poor choice on their parts. Was he angry with you for lying to him?"

"He was definitely upset about it, but he seemed to understand when I told him I did it to protect him," I confided.

He raised an eyebrow, giving me a doubtful look. "I can't imagine any dad being happy with that response from his daughter. It's a father's job to protect his child, not the other way around."

I shrugged. "He couldn't really argue though, since he knew he'd have done the same thing if our positions were reversed."

"So how much does he know, other than the basic idea of our existence?" Jasper asked grimly. "He knows there's a vampire out to kill you, right?"

"Um, he pretty much knows everything. He knows about James, what happened in Phoenix, Victoria, the newborn army, the witch's curse - the end of my relationship with Edward and yours with Alice," I confessed. "The Volturi, the law against humans knowing the secret, and the consequences if they find out about us and the tribe."

"Does he know about us, the bond developing between us? Does he know you intend to become a vampire?" he demanded.

I shook my head. "We had the whole conversation in the presence of Leah, Seth, and their mother Sue. I didn't think it would be a good idea to bring it up in front of two brand new wolves."

He nodded. "That's true. They could've hurt you if they lost their tempers and phased so close to you." He paused and added, "Which is why you shouldn't have been arguing with Leah in the first place." The reprimand was clear in both his voice and expression.

I ducked my head guiltily, knowing he was right. "I kept an eye on her tremors, ready to move out of the way. She has an impressive amount of control, more than most of the boys."

He sighed. "Obviously you're here safe and unharmed, so you did a good job, but please don't take unnecessary risks with your life, sweetheart. We already have enough things trying to end your existence prematurely without adding in extras. We're already to the point your health and happiness are irrevocably tied to mine and vice versa, so please keep in mind _both_ our futures are on the line with every risk you take."

I frowned, never having considered that aspect of it before. It was one thing for me to risk myself, but quite another to risk my mate. I suddenly understood a little bit of Edward's previous overprotectiveness. _Perhaps if he'd explained his concerns like Jasper just did instead of trying to control my every move, I would've been more careful_, I thought.

**xxxxxxx**

**Third Person POV**

Meanwhile . . . .

Peter and Charlotte were wandering around an open air market, trying to make sure they had enough control to handle being crammed into an airplane with their natural food source for a couple of hours now that they were feeding from animals. When eating humans, they usually only needed to feed once every three to four weeks, and luckily Jasper had caught them right before it was time to hunt again, so their eyes were already a burnt umber. They intended to gorge on animals once again tomorrow morning after a night of wild, passionate lovemaking, averaging an orgasm every five minutes, all night long to burn up the remaining vestiges of human blood in their systems.

Peter was wearing lime green nylon shorts, a yellow t-shirt claiming: _I'm prettier than you are_, and brilliant hot pink running shoes. Charlotte was dressed in cut off jeans, white tennis shoes, and a white t-shirt which read: _Yes, my husband's an idiot, but at least he's pretty_.

As they strolled along, they heard a man in a business suit off to the side suddenly curse and begin dabbing angrily at his jacket front with an napkin. A quick glance revealed the man had been hit by bird shit.

"Oh, man, the victim of a fly-by, that sucks!" Peter loudly announced.

The man glared at him, embarrassed to have attention drawn to his situation. Of course, this only spurred Peter on to continue, "Never can tell when one of those flying rats will let loose a bomb on the unsuspecting people below."

Having caught on to what happened and enjoying the spectacle of the man's face turning red with anger and embarrassment, a crowd of people started forming, some calling out suggestions to the guy of how to get bird poop out of fabric without staining.

"Hey, don't get so worked up, dude," Peter provoked. "You might have a heart attack or something. You know, you should be counting your blessings, instead of getting so bent out of shape."

"Counting my blessings?!" the man retorted in disbelief.

Peter nodded emphatically. "Sure! After all, it could've landed in your hair, on your face, in your mouth . . ."

The man grimaced, while the crowd laughed. Peter got a familiar gleam in his eye, and Char braced herself, thinking, _Oh, no, here we go again!_

"Look, just leave me alone," the man muttered in disgust.

"Most of all you should be happy it was just a bird that flew overhead," Peter declared.

The man shot him a confused look. "What the hell are you talking about?"

"Well, it could've been a bigger animal, like Pegasus maybe, and just think of what a mess that would be!" Peter replied confidently. The crowd snickered, making snide comments about finding the man covered in horse manure.

"Yeah, real funny," the man retorted, annoyed and angry. "Last time I checked, Pegasus wasn't real, simpleton."

Peter shrugged. "Stranger things have happened. A buddy of mine took his kid to the zoo a few months ago when the elephant got deathly ill. It was too heavy for transport in any of their trucks, so they decided to fly it out of the enclosure with a helicopter. They tranquilized it and wrapped a harness under its belly, lifting it slowly up in the air with giant steel cables. My buddy was fascinated when he saw it and pointed it out to his boy, saying, 'Look, son! It's Dumbo, the flying elephant!' He was so busy laughing at his own joke, he didn't notice the unconscious elephant's bowels let loose. Twenty pounds of liquid elephant dung hit him right in the face - going in his eyes, up his nose, in his mouth. Choked on the stuff, asphyxiated right there in front of his son. Poor lad's traumatized for life now, carries an umbrella with him whenever he leaves the house, just in case."

Peter delivered his lines with finesse, his face serious and sad. The crowd stared silently in shock, unsure whether or not to believe such a fantastical tale when it had been told with such sincerity.

Looking around at the crowd that had grown as Peter told his tall tale, the man exploded, "Bullshit!"

Peter watched unconcernedly as the man advanced on him aggressively. He nodded, "Yep, you're right, it _was_ a bull elephant, but you should really use 'poo' in public, dude - there are children present."

"Why, you little . . .," the man trailed off, clearly trying to edit his language. He continued to advance toward Peter.

"Yeah, the zoo tried to keep the story out of the media, paying off the family and everything, but_ Ripley's Believe it or Not_ got an anonymous tip from the medical examiner's office," Peter nonchalantly remarked. "He's the only known person ever to have an official cause of death listed as drowning in elephant diarrhea."

The next step the man took caused him to cross into the sphere of influence of Peter's gift. The man immediately shifted from intense rage and aggravation to amusement and camaraderie. His fists unclinched, and he bent in half, holding his gut as he laughed uproariously. "D-drowning in . . . e-elephant . . . d-diarrhea!" he gasped out in between laughs.

Peter grinned triumphantly, humming the song "When I See an Elephant Fly" from the movie Dumbo. The crowd joined in with the guy's hilarity, certain now the story was just a joke.

The man straightened up, calming himself down, and slapped Peter on the back in a friendly way. He shook his hand afterward, surprised by how much it stung, but cast that thought aside to declare, "Thanks, man, for putting things into perspective for me. I needed that laugh. I probably would've been irritated and stressed out for the rest of the day and taken it out on everyone around me otherwise, so I'm sure my employees are all thankful to you too, even if they aren't aware of it."

Peter simply nodded his head, smirking smugly. "I try to do my part to make the world a happier place," he proclaimed, wrapping his arm around Charlotte and continuing on his way. "Everyone seems to take things way too seriously."

The crowd dispersed, all wearing smiles on their faces. "Man, can you imagine what elephant dung would do to a windshield?" One lady asked her companion. "You'd wreck for sure!"

The guy snickered, "Worse, how would you explain it to the police and the insurance company afterward? They'd think you'd been drinking or were high on something! 'Really, officer, it was a flying elephant, I swear!'"

A teenage girl turned to her friend and admitted, "You know, I've always wanted a flying horse, but I never thought about how difficult it might be to clean up after it."

Peter and Char continued mingling with the humans, pleased to note the thirst wasn't too overwhelming. They had just decided they'd had enough, when a woman thoughtlessly exclaimed, "Wow, look at those shoes!" pointing at Peter's feet encased in his gorgeous bright pink sneakers. She had two little girls with her, who promptly looked to see what caught their mother's attention.

The older of her two young daughters immediately agreed, "Oh, they're awesome! See, real men _do_ wear pink!" quoting from a slogan she'd heard before.

Not to be outdone, the utterly clueless younger child chimed in with, "Yeah, because fake men don't _deserve_ pink!"

The mother valiantly tried to hold in her laughter at the little girl's statement.

Peter excitedly turned to Char, his eyes gleaming mischievously. "Come on, I need to go get a new t-shirt made!" he crowed enthusiastically. Sighing, she rolled her eyes and followed along.

**xxxxxxx**

**AN:** Okay, so I admit the conversation revolving around a guy wearing hot pink sneakers really happened with me and my daughters. I was driving along and saw the guy jogging down the street, so he never heard a word of what we said, but I thought it was hilarious. So that's my new t-shirt slogan idea - "Fake Men Don't Deserve Pink!" Kids say the darndest things . . .

And yes, I once had a conversation with my kids in which I pointed out what would happen if Dumbo let loose on someone's windshield while flying overhead. I began singing "When I See an Elephant Fly" and stopped in the middle, pausing and saying in the crow's disgusted voice, "Okay, NOW I done seen _everything_!" while gesturing at the windshield to illustrate my point. I'm not sure my kids were quite as amused as I was.

Yeah, sanity isn't really my strong suit . . .


	17. Schooled

**Schooled**

Jasper had gotten me a cell phone yesterday, after our conversation, wanting to be able to keep in touch with me at all times in case I found myself in danger while we were apart. He was especially nervous, because he needed to go to Spokane and see if Vicki was stashing any other newborns there. He thought it highly likely, given the ones he found in Portland.

I wasn't ready to deal with the whole Jasper situation with Dad, so he didn't come inside with me once we returned to the house. Instead, I had long conversation with Charlie over leftovers, answering his numerous questions, including everything I knew about what it took to kill a vampire. I was relieved when he finally released me to go up to my room and fell into bed emotionally exhausted. It had been a trying day.

I was up bright and early the next morning, though I wasn't looking forward to going back to school. My new phone was ringing as I entered my bedroom fresh from the shower. I quickly answered it, knowing it was Jasper.

"Good morning, beautiful," he greeted gruffly.

"Hey, Jasper," I responded brightly. "How was your night?"

"Not good," he replied, his voice thick with frustration. "I found five more scents, but I was too late. They moved out yesterday morning. I tracked them all the way to Bellingham, but they entered the water there, so I lost their trail. They could've gone west or north into Canada. I ran south to Everett, then swam west and followed the coast line all the way to Makah Bay, without picking up their scents again. There's miles and miles of coastline where they could've made landfall, and I don't have time to search them all, so I'm heading back to the house now. I'm sorry I won't be able to give you a good morning kiss before school, honey."

"That's okay," I murmured, lost in thought. "Hey, that makes fifteen vampires still left in her army, right?"

"Yes," he growled. "Assuming she didn't have any even further away. The good news is that Peter and Char are flying into Seattle this afternoon. The bad news is I'll be picking them up and won't be there when you get home from school. I'll text you when we're on our way back though, and you can meet us over at the Cullen house. How's that sound?"

"Oh, well, I can wait until you're ready to come over here . . .," I suggested.

"No, I want you to be there when we arrive, please," he insisted. "If nothing else, you'll want to see Peter's face when he realizes what's happened to the Cullens. I haven't told them yet."

"Oh, man!" I exclaimed. "Are you sure it's wise to spring it on them like that? What if they attack?"

"Peter and Char have excellent control, darlin'," he drawled. "You don't need to worry about _that_. Though I wouldn't put it past Peter to pretend like he's lost control just to scare the pants off of Eddie boy."

I giggled. "Now _that_ I'd like to see."

"I don't know what Peter's reaction will be, but it's likely to be amusing," Jasper replied amiably.

"Alright, you sold me. I'll be there," I agreed, giving in gracefully.

**xxxxxxx**

I rather enjoyed watching Edward squirm during his first day back at Forks High, though I knew that was awfully petty of me. At first, the girls swarmed around him, trying to get his attention, but when they got a closer look, about a third of them dropped away, uninterested. After the first few statements he made, half of those remaining quickly left the ranks of his fans.

By lunch time, only a small handful of girls were still hanging around him. He wanted to be human, but he wasn't very good at it. All those years in the minds of others hadn't taught him anything about how to interact appropriately with others. It was kind of pathetic really. I watched as the girl on his right suddenly stood up and slapped him, before storming off to another table. Jessica was sitting to his left and was staring at him as if he'd just swallowed a worm. She shot me a look, and I simply shrugged.

Angela plopped her tray down beside me and sat down heavily. "Man, I never realized what an asshole Edward Cullen is!" she exclaimed. "He never used to talk before, and I think it would probably be wise if he went back to that strategy again. It was definitely working for him a lot better than the crap he spews every time he opens his mouth now."

Luckily Jasper had been able to hack into the school's computer for me last night and change Edward's schedule around so we only had two classes together, rather than every class, like it had been back in September.

I chuckled, having heard a few examples in our shared Calculus class. His 'holier than thou' attitude and caustic words were quickly earning him the position of social pariah. "Yeah, he told Haley her miniskirt made her look like a $5 streetwalker when she leaned against his desk. After she stormed off, he asked Vanessa if she was pregnant. When she turned red and hotly denied it, he pointed out that she'd put on about twenty pounds, mostly in her abdominal area, since the last time he saw her. She hit him over the head with her purse, then ran out of the room crying."

Angela groaned. "You should have heard him in Physics. He told Lauren she was a two bit whore because she'd already had sex with half a dozen guys who attend our school. When Tyler attempted to come to her defense, saying Edward was just jealous because he'd never 'tapped that,' Edward said Lauren had offered, but he'd hadn't been interested in sharing her diseases. He'd then said it was fine for Tyler, considering he was a player and probably already had the same things Lauren did."

"Oh, boy! He sure knows how to make enemies fast, doesn't he? I wonder what he said to that girl just now to make her slap him like that," I laughed. "I bet Jessica will tell us later. Speaking of which, how long do you think she'll remain his faithful champion?"

Angela shook her head with a smile. "I don't know, she's awfully stubborn. She won't like admitting you were right. She's wanted to be with him for so long, it'll be the death of a dream for her to let him go as unworthy of her attention."

The bell rang, and the two of us hurried off to gym. This was the other class I had with Edward, and I wondered how he'd do without his vampire strength, skills, and coordination. It wasn't raining today, so the coach had us start running laps on the track outside. Edward beamed and took off like a shot. I stayed toward the back, putting more effort into staying upright than into speed. Edward took the lead, something he'd never allowed himself to do as a vampire, when he'd needed to avoid drawing attention to himself. I could see why he'd been the fastest vampire in the family. He almost looked graceful as he pulled ahead of the rest of the class.

He'd nearly caught up to me where I brought up the rear of the line of straggling students, but I could hear his huffing and puffing. I maintained my pace, but he started dropping back. I giggled to myself, realizing he was running out of steam. So much for his 'human' stamina. By the time I finished the first lap, Edward had nearly lost his lead, having fallen back to where Mike and Tyler were battling for second and third place. I was halfway around the track again when I saw Mike and Tyler exchange a speaking look. They overtook Edward, deliberately pushing against him as they ran by, throwing off his balance. He stumbled and nearly fell, but recovered at the last moment. He glared at the backs of the jocks who shared an unsubtle fist bump, but was unable to catch back up to them.

By the time the fourth lap rolled around, he'd been passed by most of the class and only finished ahead of me and two other girls. He flopped down on the grass onto his back, wheezing, his cheeks bright red. The coach called us to go back inside, where we played a variation of dodgeball. In this version, nobody actually got 'out'. Half the class formed a circle, and the other half were inside of it. The ones forming the circle tried to hit as many people as many times as possible, getting points for every hit. When the coach blew the whistle, we'd swap places. Everyone who was inside the circle now became the ones throwing, while the ones who'd originally formed the circle were now the targets inside.

Needless to say, Edward was the new favorite target whenever he was inside the circle, and with multiple balls all flying at him at the same time from different directions, he had little success in dodging. _He really needs to learn to shut his mouth if he wants to survive the remainder of the school year_, I thought, feeling a little pity for him. _Being human isn't a license to say whatever you're thinking without regard for other people's feelings_!

Then again, _I_ was usually the favorite target in dodgeball, as the weakest link, my uncoordinated self making for easy points for the other team, so it was a relief for someone else to be the focus for once.

Jessica was in my last class of the day, and she slid into the seat in front of me wearing the oddest expression on her face.

"Hey, Jess!" I greeted cheerfully. "So what did Edward say to that poor girl in the cafeteria to make her slap him like that?"

She furrowed her brow in bewilderment. "He told her that any girl who allows a guy to take liberties other than a chaste kiss is nothing but a slut and will never find a guy willing to marry her."

I chuckled. "Yeah, that sounds like him."

She looked at me in consternation. "Bella, you dated him for six months, right?"

I nodded, wondering where she was going with this.

"You had to have sex with him then," she murmured. "Or at least close to it, right?"

I snorted and shook my head. "Nope, the prude would never do more than give me a chaste kiss - never even slipped me some tongue and freaked out when _I_ tried it. He never even touched my _thighs_ over my clothes, much less my boobs or rear, and wouldn't touch my bare skin at all except for my face and hands. I tried slipping my hands under his shirt a few times, and he always shut me down, pushing me away."

Her jaw dropped open. "You mean he was _serious_ when he said he was a virgin and was saving himself for his wedding night? That he would never be with a girl who isn't as pure as he is?"

I nodded dryly. "Yep. He wants to get married right out of high school and start churning out babies too. Thinks his wife should be happy to stay barefoot and pregnant and do whatever he tells her, letting him make all the decisions for the family."

"You're kidding?!" she shrieked. "What is this, the Dark Ages?"

I shrugged. "Yeah, I know, he's got some serious issues. Now you know why I'm not interested."

She furrowed her brows and narrowed her eyes at me. "Yeah, but that means you're a virgin too, or else he wouldn't have stayed with you so long and wouldn't still be hoping to get back together with you."

I sighed. "Yeah, I am, but not because I _want_ to be. I'd totally have taken that step with him last summer if he'd been willing. I didn't truly understand the level of his crazy until after they returned though. I think the illness must have damaged his brain-to-mouth filter, because he used to be smart enough not to say everything he was thinking, knowing it would drive everyone away. Honestly, if I'd known what kind of future he had planned for us before, I'd have dropped him long ago and saved myself a lot of heartache."

Jessica rolled her eyes. "Well, damn, Bella! I know _I'm_ not a virgin anymore, and I'm not sure anyone else I know is either. I think you're probably the only virgin left in the senior class. I mean, Angela and Ben have been together for a year already, so I'm pretty sure even _she_ has taken that step. If Edward wants someone 'untouched', he's going to need to start looking at the freshmen and sophomores, though I doubt anyone will be interested once word gets around that he won't do anything at all but give chaste kisses until marriage. Talk about frustrating! Might as well not have a boyfriend at all!"

I nodded, chuckling.

She shot me a suspicious look. "Are you sure he's not gay?"

I laughed. "You wouldn't be the first person to ask that question!"

**xxxxxxx**

**AN:** So what did you think of Eddie's first day back at school?


	18. Revenge is a Dish Best Served Cold

**Revenge is a Dish Best Served Cold**

**Third Person POV**

Victoria was lurking in the water of Eagle Harbor early Monday afternoon when she spotted the blond warrior Cullen driving his car onto the Seattle-Bainbridge Ferry. She knew he'd been the one running all over the state decimating her army, and he was the only one she feared out of the entire coven. Now he was on his way to Seattle and would be on the ferry for at least 45 minutes.

She decided it was the perfect time to act. She couldn't afford to wait any longer for fear she'd lose more of her newborns to the one deadly Cullen. She raced to where her army had gathered. After the losses in Seattle and Portland, she'd called everyone to come together, figuring safety in numbers. They were currently hiding out in Ozette Lake less than 15 miles away from Forks and La Push. Covering over 12 square miles and being over 300 feet deep, it was a perfect hiding place from both vampires and werewolves alike. The lake frequently sported 1-2 foot waves, which hid the predators swimming under the surface from anyone viewing the water from above. It was also known for numerous cold water drownings, being a favorite spot for water sports enthusiasts, so there was food available to feed the hungry newborns without drawing too much attention. It would work as a safe hideout for a few days anyway.

She sent five newborns back to Seattle to intercept the warrior. She knew her minions would lose, but hoped it would distract her enemy long enough for her to accomplish her goal of destroying the Swan girl before he could interfere. He wasn't the only danger though, so she sent three of her newborns swimming down the coast with orders to make landfall on First Beach. She showed them a map of the reservation and promised them they could have the whole reservation as their own personal feeding grounds forever if they could get rid of the werewolf guarding it. She didn't bother warning them there would be more than one wolf, knowing they would not survive the mission. They would serve as a highly effective distraction. The wolves would rally together on the reservation to defend their families and their tribe from attack, leaving the Swan house unguarded.

Riley and four others were sent against the Cullen house, and she brought the remaining two with her, to act as a distraction if any of the Cullens happened to be with the Swan girl. She ran to Forks, sneaking through the woods and came out in the Swans' back yard. She could hear two heartbeats coming from the front yard, and her gift let her know there were no dangers in the vicinity. _Now's my chance!_ she thought gleefully.

"Wait here!" she commanded the two with her. "Don't come out until I call for you."

**xxxxxxx**

**Bella POV**

I hurried out to my truck as soon as the last bell rang to dismiss us for the day. I wanted to get home and get ready for meeting Jasper's covenmates. As I pulled out of the parking lot, I saw a dejected Edward walking toward his car amidst jeers and sneers from the other students. I resolved to have a word with Esme about teaching Edward to control his tongue. _How could he be so blind to appropriate social behavior?_ I wondered. _It wouldn't have been polite back in his day to speak to others the way he's been doing, so why is he doing it now? He's got to be doing it on purpose, deliberately alienating them._

I pulled into my driveway, gathered my things, and started walking to the front door, when the Volvo pulled smoothly up to the curb. Edward got out of the car hastily, calling my name.

I scowled at him. "What do you want, Edward?"

"Please may I hang out with you for a little while, Bella?" he begged. "Esme and Rose hate me right now, and Emmett wants to beat me to a pulp, so I can't go home."

I raised an eyebrow skeptically. "Why do they hate you? Did you say something mean and hurtful to them like you've been doing to everyone all day?"

He ducked his head in shame. "Because the ultrasounds showed they had no eggs in their ovaries. They're barren, and so is Emmett. They blame me for having them turned into this weak, nonhuman creature with unknown side effects."

I scoffed. "It's true you called them down there, but they each made their own decision. Carlisle and Jasper are proof of that."

Edward shook his head. "No, I droned on and on about all the benefits they'd have, none of which are actually possible in this new body. The things is, I didn't admit I'd lost my gift, that I couldn't read the witch's thoughts, until after they'd been transformed. They thought I could, they trusted my assessment of the situation, which was based entirely on wishful thinking on my part instead of the inside information they thought I had. If I'd told them I couldn't read her mind and hadn't understood her thoughts even before the change, they would've been more cautious, asked more questions. I vouched for her, for the change, and they took my word for it over Jasper's warnings that her emotions were sly and sinister."

"Oh, Edward!" I gasped. "I can't believe you did that!"

**xxxxxxx**

**Third Person POV**

Diego, Bree, and Fred strolled onto First Beach and headed toward the town of La Push. The stench of wet dog permeated the air.

There were distinct trails, indicating the werewolf they sought to eliminate was used to patrolling his land in a regular circuit. The vampires decided to split up, with Diego and Bree heading south along the outskirts of the town and Fred going north. Shortly thereafter, they heard a howl split the air. The werewolf had caught their scent.

Wanting to be strong for the fight, Diego and Bree killed the first humans they came across. When they looked up from feeding, they were shocked to see not one werewolf, but five crouched to spring. They fought valiantly, back to back, but were quickly torn to pieces and burned.

Fred made his way toward a small house tucked into the woods, where he could hear a flurry of activity. The wet dog odor seemed most strong leading toward it, and he was sure it was the werewolf's lair. As soon as the house came into view, he could see it was guarded by three giant wolves. He turned to flee, knowing he couldn't take them all on by himself, when he caught the most delicious fragrance he'd ever smelled coming from the house.

The scent called to him, wrapped itself around his brain, putting him into a trance. He couldn't think of anything but getting to that delightful aroma. He no longer even saw the wolves, becoming completely oblivious to the danger, caught in a haze. He was driven to feed, to drink, unable to think beyond it, lost to all reason, even self-preservation.

He moved toward the cabin, ignoring the growling, slavering wolves and their gleaming, impossibly sharp teeth. Jacob, Sam, and Jared sprang at the vampire, determined to protect their imprints, who were cowering together in the house. Unfortunately for them, his gift kicked in automatically and sent them all sprawling before they reached him, their stomachs roiling with nausea. They scrambled to their feet as he pushed past them, but they were all unable to approach, repulsed to the point of illness every time they got close to him.

Fred entered the house focused solely upon the source of the bewitching elixir. He grabbed the girl, his eyes rolling back into his head as he began gulping down the most satisfying sustenance he'd ever encountered.

**xxxxxxx**

Riley observed the large white house in the center of the clearing, listening carefully. All he could detect were the movements of three loud, slow-moving entities with wet, pulsing thumps. He moved so that he could peer through the windows and see the people inside. None of the three humans were the one his mate had been seeking. _What is it with this odd coven and their love of human pets_? he wondered. _They've taken on three more! How do they keep from eating them? Why do they want to have them around? Wouldn't the temptation drive them insane? Maybe it had. Maybe they've gone crazy. It would explain a lot._

Scowling, he looked at the soldiers standing behind him, awaiting the signal to attack. _Wait, if none of the vampires are here, they could be with the Swan girl, which means Victoria is heading into an ambush!_ he worried. _What if this is a trap? She could be in danger while we're handing around here!_

"You three, go in there and drain the humans, then follow our scent trail - we're going to find the Mistress. The enemy must be lying in wait for her at the other human's house, so be quick about it!" he ordered. He didn't wait around, turning and running through the woods toward the house his mistress had pointed out on the map.

**xxxxxxx**

Victoria rounded the house to see the Swan girl she hated talking to a human boy. She snorted as she recognized the similarities between the boy and the girl's mate. He's a poor substitute for the vampire who'd left her behind. The foolish Cullens had left to track her, knowing she'd be a danger to his mate, but she'd easily lost the mind reader, giving him false trails to follow while she circled around and started gathering her army. Laurent had given her hope when he'd told her the Cullens had left the Swan girl defenseless, but that had obviously been a lie. The golden eyed freaks had an alliance with the mutant werewolves who were oddly rational while in wolf form and weren't slaves to the moon like the one James had killed years before.

She briefly wondered if the boy was a human relative of the missing mind reader and concluded he was. There were too many similarities in their features for that not to be the case, and she guessed he'd been brought there to be protected along with the vampire's human mate. _Another human who'd been brought into the secret, defying vampire law_, she thought bitterly. _If the Volturi only knew!_

She smirked to herself, knowing the death of the boy would hurt the mind reader and his pathetic coven. She would take the girl and leave the boy's body as her calling card. His presence was the icing on the cake of her revenge.

"Well, well, what do we have here?" she cackled, making her presence known. "Two defenseless humans with none of their big, strong protectors around to take care of them!"

"Victoria!" they both cried out at the same time, wearing identical masks of horror. She was filled with glee to see the terror in their eyes, the knowledge nobody could save them from her.

_At last your death will be avenged, James!_ she thought proudly.

**xxxxxxx**

**AN:** Yes, yes, I'm evil, I know . . . Perhaps your reviews will inspire me to get the next chapter up by tomorrow morning . . . I admit this chapter was a struggle.


	19. Burn, Baby, Burn!

**AN: **A sincere, heartfelt thank you to everyone who took a few extra seconds to review. It lights me up inside to read each and every one. You're wonderful! This chapter is dedicated to all of you. Thank you!

**Burn, Baby, Burn!**

_Victoria_! My brain went into overdrive._ Shit! Jasper's in Seattle picking up Peter and Char. Even traveling at full speed it would take him at least half an hour to get here. _

(I knew that because the pack used to race each other to and from Seattle. The wolves were faster runners than the vampires, as they'd proven by overtaking Laurent, yet they couldn't make the trip in either direction in less than 45 minutes. It's possible the vampires might make the trip a little faster, because they'd have the advantage of being able to travel in a straight line, instead of taking a circuitous route to avoid the water like the wolves did. The distance 'as the crow flies' was only about 90 miles, but it involved crossing three bodies of water. Vampires could run between 200-250 miles per hour over long distances and up to 1000+ mph in very short bursts of a few hundred feet or less, but they couldn't swim that quickly. Of course, since they don't need to breathe, water wouldn't slow them down as much as it did the wolves. The pack had found it was faster for them to run diagonally across the Olympic National Park to Olympia, then go north through Tacoma up to Seattle. It added 70 miles to the trip, but swimming slowed them down enough to make it worth traveling the extra distance.)

Victoria pounced on Edward, sinking her teeth into his throat, before I had finished comprehending just how precarious my current situation was. _Crap! Edward! Fire!_ I remembered Rosalie's story. _Shit, I don't have any hairspray here!_ (I'd gotten rid of all the beauty products Alice had supplied me with back when I tore the stereo out of my truck.) My mind worked at a feverish pace, and I suddenly thought of the lighter fluid and charcoal lighter stored under the grill on the back patio.

As I raced around the house to get the weapons, I pulled out my cell phone, hitting the speed dial for Carlisle. _The hospital is only a few minutes away, less than 5 if he runs. Edward should recover like Em because of the rapid healing thing, so I just have to keep myself alive long enough for him to come to my rescue, _I thought desperately.

As soon as I heard him pick-up, I shouted, "Victoria, my house, she's got Edward!"

I didn't bother listening for a reply, since I'd made it to the grill. I opened the cabinet and pulled out the lighter fluid, yanking off the cap. I tucked my phone into my pocket and grabbed the lighter. Running as quickly as possible back around the house, I grimaced as a little of the fluid splashed over the top onto my hand. A few drops landed on the sleeve of my coat. _Great, I'll probably set myself on fire in the process_, I mentally disparaged.

_Yeah, but burns will heal_, I reminded myself. _Better that than dying_.

Loping over to where Victoria was drinking from Edward, I squirted her hair and back with lighter fluid, trying to be careful not to get any on him. Before I could start working on trying to get a flame from the old lighter, she suddenly flung herself back away from Edward and fell to the ground convulsing. She landed on her back and began screaming, writhing and flailing. I stared at her for a moment, shocked. _But I didn't even light her up yet! _

It dawned on me that she was behaving the same way Rose had described the other vampire responding after being set on fire. _What if it wasn't the fire that made him act that way?_ I wondered.

Edward had crumpled to the ground once Victoria dropped him, and she seemed to be incapacitated for the moment, so I decided to quickly make sure he was still alive. I moved carefully around Vicki's agitated figure, dropping to my knees beside a prone Edward. Hesitantly, I set the lighter fluid on the ground, freeing one hand to feel for a pulse, but kept the lighter clutched tightly in my other one, just in case. I was relieved to note his heartbeat was strong and steady.

His eyes popped open and he flung out his arms as he tried to move into a sitting position. Of course, he promptly knocked over the bottle of lighter fluid, letting the precious, life-saving fluid spill out onto the ground. I scrambled to get it upright again as quickly as possible, not wanting any of it to go to waste. Hearing the screaming vampire a few feet away, he turned in that direction, his expression confused.

"What happened?" he asked. Then he recognized the tormented figure and started scrabbling backward away from her.

I rolled my eyes at his behavior. _It's a little late for that now_, I thought.

Suddenly, recognition and realization dawned in his eyes, and his jaw dropped open. "She's _changing_!" he hissed.

"You mean, like . . . _you_?" I whispered, shocked, gesturing to his body.

He nodded grimly.

_The blood, it's contagious!_ I realized, my eyes widening. _Any vampire who drinks from them will become like them. The curse is perpetuating itself!_

Before I could comment on it, Carlisle dashed out of the woods, crouching in front of us protectively. "Get in the car! Get out of here!" he urged. He saw Victoria and his jaw dropped for a second, a grimace of horror quickly following it. He closed his eyes and tugged on his hair, no doubt coming to the same conclusion I just did. When he opened them again, I saw they were pitch black and pained. "There's more newborns hiding in the forest behind the house," he warned.

Edward and I jumped to our feet and started running toward the Volvo. I knew it would be faster than my truck and speed was of the essence right now. We needed to head toward the reservation and the safety of the wolves. We'd only gotten about ten feet when four vampires zipped into the front yard. I recognized one of them from a missing persons report my dad had been working on, Riley Biers.

**xxxxxxx**

**Third Person POV**

As soon as Riley and Raoul took off from the Cullen house to help Victoria, the other three started sneaking closer to the house. Kevin warned the other two it might be a trap, so they were careful in their approach. As soon as they were absolutely positive there were no vampires lying in wait inside and that the three humans were oblivious to their presence, they worked out which prey they would get. Kevin called dibs on Rosalie with a smug smirk, intending to cop a feel of the beautiful human while he drank from her. Riley had insisted on speed, so he didn't have time to do any of the other despicable things he wanted to, much to his dismay.

The vampires agreed they needed to be quick and precise in their attack to prevent the pets from being able to sound the alarm to summon their protectors. They didn't want one of them to make a phone call or hit a button that would alert the Cullen coven to the danger. As a result, they attacked in sync, going through the window and latching onto the humans before they even knew what hit them.

Kevin didn't get the opportunity to grope the blond girl the way he'd intended. One whiff of her blood and his mind shut down, entering into a trance unlike anything he'd ever experienced when feeding. He was oblivious to anything other than the ambrosia flowing across his tongue and down his throat. The other two newborns were lost in the same haze as they drank from Esme and Emmett.

Shortly thereafter, all three newborns hit the ground screaming in pain. A few minutes later, Esme, Emmett, and Rosalie awoke from unconsciousness to find the creatures convulsing on the living room floor.

"What happened?" Esme asked in confusion.

"I don't know," Emmett admitted with a shrug. "I don't remember anything."

His words triggered Rose's memory of their previous vampire attack, and her eyes quickly took in the entire scene, including the broken window and their torn clothing.

"I think we were attacked," she declared, reaching up to her neck to feel for a bite mark. Her fingers quickly found the new scar, and her eyes filled with tears. "Yes, they tried to drink from us. Victoria must've sent them."

"Why'd they stop? What's wrong with them?" Esme wondered. (Since they had all been transforming at the same time, they had no idea what the change from vampire to whatever they were looked like from the outside. Only Edward, Carlisle, and Jasper had watched it take place.)

"I don't know," Rose worried, staring down at them. "But they're acting the same way the other one did after I set him on fire."

"Maybe our blood is poisonous to them," Emmett suggested. "Since we're not really human."

The women looked at him with surprise, then nodded in agreement.

"That makes sense," Rose responded, biting her lip nervously. "We have no idea how long the effect lasts though. We should burn them before they can recover."

Esme gasped, her eyes wide. "Are you sure?"

"Mom, if they recover they'll kill us. We may heal quickly, but I'm pretty sure we couldn't survive decapitation. They won't make the mistake of trying to drink from us again," Rose declared, upset. "It's us or them."

"On it, babe," Em declared, dragging the first vampire outside by his leg. Rose hurried over to help.

"I should call Carlisle," Esme fretted, heading for the phone.

"Later!" Rose grunted, tugging on the second vampire. "I need your help here. We need to get them out of the house."

Esme stared longingly at the phone, taking one more step in that direction when Rose looked up and barked, "Esme! They could kill us while you're on the phone if we don't take care of this now! Remember, they came here with the intent of murdering us in the first place!"

Realizing she nearly lost two of her children and still possibly could, Esme moved to help Rose with the second guy while Em came back in the house for the third guy. _Where's Edward? He should've been home from school by now,_ she worried. _What if he was intercepted?_

As soon as the three guys were in a pile in the yard, Esme hurried back inside to call her mate.

**xxxxxxx**

Alice slipped into unconsciousness when the vampire started drinking from her. Jacob howled in fear as he saw his imprint being attacked. Kim and Emily couldn't understand why their big, strong protectors weren't attacking. They froze for a moment and began clubbing the vampire over the head with household objects, trying to distract him and keep Alice alive long enough for the wolves to come to their rescue. Seeing that, Jacob realized the girls were unaffected by whatever had incapacitated the wolves.

Remembering Rosalie's story, he quickly phased human and shouted inside, "Fire! Hairspray! Lighter!"

Reacting to his words, the girls scrambled to obtain the requested items. He found he was able to get closer in his human form, but the closer he got, the harder he had to fight his natural instinct to phase. As soon as he would get close to phasing into a wolf again, the debilitating nausea would cripple him where he stood, forcing him to back away.

Emily ran in with a can of hairspray from the bathroom and Kim had located a lighter in the kitchen. They sent a fireball toward the vampire's back, singing his hair, but his shirt was soaking wet from swimming in the ocean and didn't catch fire. They aimed for his scraggly hair, but to their consternation, the vampire ignored the flames licking at his head as if he didn't even feel them. Then he suddenly thrust himself away from Alice and fell on the floor howling in agony, his muscles spasming randomly.

"What the . . . ?" Jacob gulped. His eyes fell on his imprint, slumped over on the couch, unmoving. He jumped over the writhing vampire and scooped her up in his arms. "Alice? Can you hear me? Are you okay?"

All the wolves were outside, growling and pacing. Emily and Kim had run out of the house to get to their menfolk, seeking protection and reassurance. Jacob joined the others, cradling Alice against him. The wolves circled around them looking in all directions for evidence of any other surprise attacks. Sam barked out orders and sent half the pack to run patrols, looking for any newborns they might have missed.

Alice woke up and snuggled into Jacob's chest. "Hey, Jakey! What's wrong? Why are you so upset?"

"You were attacked!" Jacob wailed, looking in the direction of the fallen vampire.

"Why haven't you killed him yet then?" she asked, surprised and confused.

"He's gifted," Jacob growled. "We can't get close to him."

Sam had been pacing closer and closer to the house and suddenly pounced through the door. (As Fred began to transform, his gift began to fade away.) Sam dragged the convulsing corpse outside. Seeing his success, Jared and Quil joined him in tearing the leech to pieces. Jacob watched enviously, wishing he could have a part in destroying the bastard who'd harmed his imprint. Understanding the emotions displayed on his face, Alice suggested, "Why don't you light him up, Jake?"

Jacob grinned and took the lighter from Kim, while still holding onto Alice reassuringly. He eagerly set the vampire aflame, watching the purple smoke drift through the air as it turned to ash.

Sam phased back to human and addressed Jacob gruffly. "Call Dr. Cullen. We need to talk."

**xxxxxxx**

Jasper had gathered Peter and Charlotte from the airport, and the three of them were walking to the car when Jasper suddenly felt like he'd been punched in the chest. He fell to his knees, grabbing the area over his heart. He stared at the other two wide eyed, trembling with the force of the terror suffusing his body, feeling as if tiny ants were marching along his veins, devouring him from the inside.

Luckily, Peter and Char recognized the symptoms, having experienced them multiple times themselves back during their time with Maria. "Your mate's in mortal danger," Peter explained.

Tossing the luggage in the trunk, then ditching the car, the three of them took off for Forks on foot, pushing themselves to go as fast as they could. Shortly after they set foot onto the Olympic Peninsula, having crossed Puget Sound, Port Orchard Bay, and finally the Hood Canal, they were ambushed by five newborns. The three experienced fighters had all the newborns dismembered and burnt to ash in less than two minutes. The encounter told Jasper everything he needed to know though. Victoria had made her move.

He and his friends fairly flew over the mountainous terrain, as he pushed himself harder than he ever had before. He hoped the wolves would be able to protect Bella in his absence. He could still feel the bond between them pulling him toward her urgently, so he knew she was still alive. He'd never felt so helpless before. He wanted to call the wolves, but his cell phone had gotten fried during his unexpected swim.

**xxxxxxx**

Riley and Raoul found Kristie and Jen waiting patiently in the woods behind the Swan house, upwind and out of sight of whatever was occurring in the front yard. He could hear the screams along with two rapid heartbeats.

"What's happened?" Riley demanded.

Kristie shrugged unconcernedly. "We heard her attack and start drinking, then stop, two thuds and the beginning of screams. I'm guessing she decided to change the girl."

"Why would she do that?" Riley wondered, confused. "I thought she wanted to kill her as painfully as possible."

"Can you imagine any worse pain than that of the change?" Jen asked, wrapping her arms around herself at the memory.

The others all nodded in agreement.

"The other human called someone though," Kristie warned. "Probably one of the freaky yellow eyes. And apparently the Edward guy she hates so much is there too, but according to the human, our fearless leader already incapacitated him somehow."

They heard a male hiss, "She's _changing_!" followed by a female whispering, "You mean, like . . . _you_?" which seemed to confirm their suppositions.

Suddenly the group of newborns heard footsteps, pounding through the forest at high speed, one of their kind. Knowing the three he left behind at the Cullen house should be arriving shortly, Riley instructed the others to wait and see if it was friend or foe.

The vampire cut out of the woods before he got to them, racing to the front yard. "Get in the car! Get out of here!" he urged the ones he saw there, confirming it was the back-up the human had called. _Add another human to the number of those that freaky coven has revealed the secret to_, he thought bitterly.

Riley was sure his Victoria would take out the enemy vampire, but was worried, not knowing what had been done to incapacitate the evil mind reader. He knew how rapidly vampires could heal and didn't want him putting himself back together while Victoria was fighting the other one.

"There's more newborns hiding in the forest behind the house," the enemy warned his companions.

_Well, since we've already lost the element of surprise, might as well join the fight_, he thought grimly. Gesturing to the others, he ran into the front yard, abruptly taken aback by what he found there.

Somehow the humans had found a way to hurt his mate, and he remembered Victoria telling him of a vampire, one of the Witch Twins, who could level another with unimaginable pain simply with the power of her mind. He wondered if one of the humans was similarly gifted. He smelled the lighter fluid and saw the lighter in the Swan girl's hand. _She's a witch! That's the only thing that makes sense! That's why she has vampires and werewolves to protect her. How else could a mere human defeat a powerful vampire and bewitch natural enemies into working together in her defense?_ he realized. He had to get Victoria away from her!

"Kill them!" He ordered the other three, racing forward to scoop up his tormented mate and running away with her toward the airfield in Port Angeles, desperate to get out of range of the Swan witch's powers.

**xxxxxxx**

**AN:** So, how's that? What do you think of the curse now?


	20. Revelations and Regrets

**AN:** My apologies everyone. My mother-in-law was staying with us for several days, so I was unable to write. I'm back on schedule now.

**Revelations and Regrets**

**Third Person POV (Victoria's attack began at 3:00 pm)**

**3:10 pm**

"Kill them!" Riley ordered, then promptly grabbed Victoria and absconded with her.

The female newborns immediately attacked the blond vampire who was crouched protectively between them and two humans, while Raoul took a moment to assess the situation. As soon as he got an eyeful of the brunette, he decided it would be a waste to end her without screwing her first. The yellow-eyed vamp didn't seem to be much of a fighter, so while Carlisle was distracted, engaged in combat with his two companions, Raoul raced around him, grabbed the human girl, and took off into the forest.

Kristie and Jen stared after his retreating form in disbelief, inadvertently inhaling with their surprise. One whiff of Edward's scent was all it took to send them both into a mindless haze. The only thing that registered in their brains was the need to obtain the source of the delicious aroma. Nothing else mattered, not even their own self-preservation. They paused mid-attack, changing direction, and pouncing on Edward instead, latching on and eagerly guzzling the precious nectar.

Carlisle was shocked by their behavior. He tried to get their attention, but they ignored him. He even put his teeth to Kristie's throat, but she was completely oblivious to it. He couldn't believe how easily he would've been able to decapitate both of them. They should've reacted to the threat he represented, should have tried to defend their kill, and definitely should have acted to defend themselves. He realized it was deeper than a feeding frenzy. They were no longer in control of themselves, enslaved by the scent of the cursed blood.

Carlisle deliberated his options for a second. If he ripped them away or decapitated them while they were drinking, it could rip out Edward's throat, which could lead to rapid, extensive blood loss. Edward's new body needed blood in order to heal itself. If he bled out, he would likely die permanently. However, if he let them drink the amount necessary for them to stop on their own, Edward would heal, at least based on what had happened with Emmett and again here with Victoria. He decided to let them continue, believing Edward would survive the encounter unscathed, and they would become humanoid creatures like Edward and the others.

_They're still so young_, he thought. _They'll be able to return home to their families, resume their lives the way they were before Victoria got to them. _

He nervously waited to be sure he'd guessed correctly, that Edward's blood would indeed begin transforming them like it had Victoria. He remembered what he'd seen under the microscope, the way the humanoid blood overcame the venom, changing it instead of being changed. He'd only thought about it in terms of venom being introduced into the bloodstream of his wife or children. He hadn't contemplated it further, hadn't yet taken the next step in his studies, hadn't tried introducing a small amount of humanoid blood into a larger quantity of venom to see what would happen. He should have and would have thought of it eventually, but it hadn't seemed important at the time. He could already think of a dozen new experiments he needed to run to help understand what his family had become and what it meant in the larger scheme of things.

His phone rang, pulling him out of his thoughts, and he recognized Esme's ring tone. He quickly answered, but didn't get a word out before her hysteric voice broadcasted her distress.

"Oh, Carlisle! We were attacked, but we're okay. Apparently our blood is poisonous now or something though, because they're all lying on the ground screaming and convulsing. Rose and Emmett are getting ready to burn them."

"No! Stop!" he cried urgently. "They're changing, like you did, becoming human again." _Or whatever it is you guys are now,_ he added mentally.

"Rose, stop!" Esme shouted, running outside. "Stop! Oh, no!" She fell to her knees, sobbing.

"What?! What is it?" Carlisle asked frantically.

"It's too late for one of them," Esme wailed into the phone.

Rose had stopped the moment she heard Esme's desperate command, but Kevin's head was already in ashes, with the rest of his body burning from the inside out. She looked to Esme for answers.

"They're changing, like we did, becoming whatever it is we are," Esme told her sadly, grieving over the unnecessary loss of life.

"You mean . . . our blood's not poisonous, it's _cursed_!" Rose realized, horrified. "The witch's curse - she said she was changing us because she wanted fewer vampires in the world, and she's using_ us_ to make it happen. She_ told_ us, but we didn't listen! We're bait! We look and smell like their natural food source, drawing them in and changing them against their will. Oh, my God! Bella and Jasper were right!"

**xxxxxxx**

**3:12 pm**

Jacob cursed as his call to Carlisle went straight to voicemail. Alice gasped as she was drawn into a horrific vision involving her best friend.

"A newborn has Bella! He's planning to brutally rape her, then drain her!" Alice wailed, lost in the tragic glimpse of Bella's impending future.

Leah and Seth were running patrols on the outer edges of wolf territory, close to Forks. They heard Alice through Quil's mind, the only one at Sam's house still in wolf form.

_Not on my watch!_ Leah thought angrily. She was the fastest wolf, with a top speed of 275 mph. She made it to Bella's house in less than 3 minutes, and Seth wasn't far behind.

Carlisle had just started to give chase, having seen the two newborns pull away from Edward and collapse to the ground, beginning the transformation. He'd been able to discern Edward's continued heartbeat and knew he would recover. Thus, his next concern was rescuing Bella. He felt guilty about waiting to give pursuit, knowing Bella could've easily been killed in the time it took for him to make certain his son would survive, especially since it was now obvious Edward would be fine, just as he'd suspected. He'd had to make a choice, unable to be in two places at the same time, and he felt he wouldn't have been able to live with himself if he'd left his son to die. He loved Bella, but he'd only known her for a few months. He'd loved Edward for decades, and the boy had a special place in his heart as the very first vampire he'd ever sired.

Carlisle was soon overtaken by first one wolf, then another. He knew they would get to the newborn before he would and asked them to incapacitate the vampire, but not kill him. He told them if the vampire were brought back to his house in pieces, he could be changed back to human and returned to his family.

_Hell, no!_ Leah thought. _Once a rapist, always a rapist! This scum is going down!_

After relaying his message, Carlisle decided the pack had the situation under control and didn't need his help. He returned to Chief Swan's house, needing to get the two transforming vampires safely hidden away before their yells attracted the attention of well-meaning humans who would alert the authorities. The last thing he wanted was some nosy neighbor to stumble across the three unconscious figures, two of whom appeared to be having extremely painful seizures. He was thankful for the stroke of luck that nobody was home in any of the nearby houses.

**xxxxxxx**

**3:15 pm**

Jasper was racing as fast as his legs could carry him, but he still had 60 miles to go. It had already taken 15 precious minutes to travel the first 30 miles, swimming 80 mph across each of the three bodies of water, and then destroying the five newborns Victoria had left to ambush him. At 240 mph, his maximum consistent run speed, it would take another 15 min to get to Forks.

_I'm not sure my human mate can survive another 15 minutes if Victoria is attacking!_ he worried. He could feel her terror, which had escalated significantly 5 minutes ago. He sent her a burst of confidence and hope, trying to help her the only way he could.

Bella felt the emotions Jasper sent via the bond connecting them even over such a long distance. She'd been frozen in Raoul's arms, feeling helpless, however the burst from her mate snapped her out of her stupor. She remembered the lighter clutched tightly in her hand. Clicking it, she brought it up to his face, aiming for his eye.

Fearing the fire, Raoul instinctively tossed her away from him, throwing her into a tree. She heard a sickening snap and succumbed to the darkness which quickly overtook her mind.

Before Raoul could gather her back into his arms again, he heard something large crashing through the underbrush toward him, moving so fast it had to be supernatural.

_The werewolf of La Push!_ he thought in fear. _Damn Fred, Bree, and Diego! It must've killed them already, unless they chose to run away instead of fight._

He took off running for his life, his human prey temporarily forgotten.

**xxxxxxx**

**3:15 pm**

Edward was waking up just as Carlisle arrived back in the yard. He tried to shake off his confusion as Carlisle loaded Kristie and Jen into the back seat of the Volvo. "We need to get these girls back to the house with the others," Carlisle informed him.

"Others?" Edward asked in alarm.

"Victoria's army attacked the house too, with the same result," Carlisle replied, his emotions in turmoil. He needed to get home to his mate, to make sure she was truly okay. His instincts were going crazy. "Our family is fine, but the newborns started changing."

"Where's Bella?" Edward wondered, looking around and noticing her absence.

"One of the newborns snatched her and ran," Carlisle answered stiltedly. "Get in the car, and give me the keys. I'm driving."

"What?! Why aren't you chasing after her?" Edward demanded, jumping to his feet.

"The wolves are already on her trail, and they're faster than I am. She'll be fine," Carlisle huffed. "Let's go! Esme was attacked and may have been injured. My mate needs me!"

Realizing the reason for Carlisle's urgency, Edward reluctantly handed over the keys and climbed into the passenger seat. Carlisle's phone rang as he pulled away from the curb. He recognized Alice's ringtone and cursed to himself, glad his son could no longer read his mind.

"What now?" he answered with a growl.

"Carlisle?" Alice asked, shocked to hear him speak to her like that and disturbed by the wailing coming from the backseat.

"Sorry," he apologized tersely. "We've been attacked, both at home and at Bella's house. I'm on my way home to Esme now."

"Is everyone okay? Who's screaming? Is it Bella?" Alice asked frantically. "I miss having control of my gift!"

"Everyone's fine. It's not Bella. I've got two newborns changing back into humans here in the car with me and two more at home. Apparently your new blood will transform any vampire who drinks it into the same kind of humanoid creature you are now. The scent puts them into a heavy trance, rendering them helpless to defend themselves, unable to think of anything other than drinking it. They don't even defend themselves from decapitation once caught by the spell."

"Oh! That explains a lot. We were attacked here too," Alice admitted.

"Are you okay?" Carlisle queried worriedly. "The pack? The tribe?"

"I'm fine, and so is the pack, but two humans were killed before the wolves realized we'd been invaded. They killed the two newborns responsible, catching them just as they finished feeding. The third newborn had a gift though, and the pack couldn't get close enough to attack him. Whenever they tried, they were hit with debilitating nausea and stomach cramps that literally stopped them in their tracks. He drank from me. Emily and Kim weren't affected by his gift, so they tried to save me by setting him on fire like Rose did for Emmett, but he had come onto the reservation from the ocean, so his clothes were too wet to burn. They did burn his hair, but he didn't even seem to notice. We didn't understand why he suddenly hit the ground wailing and writhing around, but it gave Jacob the opportunity to get me away from him. Over time his gift got weaker and weaker until it stopped working completely, allowing the wolves to rip him apart and burn him like the others," Alice explained.

"It's a shame you were so hasty to kill him," Carlisle lamented. "If he'd been allowed to transform, he could've returned home to his family. I'm sure they're missing him terribly."

"He tried to _kill_ me, Carlisle," Alice reminded him, offended. "If he'd gotten to one of the other imprints first, he'd have killed them for sure."

"He couldn't help it," he countered. "He didn't know any better. He was only doing what he was taught."

"Well, it's a moot point now," Alice huffed. "We did what we felt was right given the knowledge we had at the time."

"I know," Carlisle sighed. "Rose and Emmett burned one of the newborns who attacked them also, before I told Esme what we'd discovered."

"How'd you know anyway?" Alice wondered.

"I recognized the symptoms from when you guys were changing," Carlisle explained. "When I saw Victoria screaming and thrashing around the same way you all did, after she'd tried to drain Edward, I knew."

"You have Victoria?!" Alice shrieked excitedly.

"No, she got away," Carlisle confessed. "One of the newborns grabbed her and ran off with her, but she's in the process of transforming, so she'll be a humanoid in six days. How's Bella?"

"How's Bella? Don't you know?" Alice responded agitatedly.

"No, there were two wolves on her trail, so I went back to the house to take care of business there."

"What?! How could you?!" Alice accused. "He was planning to _rape_ her, Carlisle! Brutally! She's probably going to need medical assistance once they find her, assuming they _do_ find her before he drains her!"

"Haven't they found her yet?" Carlisle asked, panicking.

He heard her asking questions of someone else in the background, then heard a boy reply, "Leah and Seth were practically on the guy's heels, but he was smart, used the Calawah River to hide his scent. They've been running along the river, trying to pick up the trail, but haven't found anything yet."

"He probably took to the trees, when he came out of the water, instead of running along the ground," Carlisle suggested. "It would be much harder for you to track." _Or he could be staying underwater, since he doesn't need to breath. He could swim all the way out to the ocean, and they'd never catch him, but if that's the case, then Bella is already dead. _He couldn't bring himself to voice that possibility out loud. He looked at the clock on the dash, 3:19 pm. He'd be home in five minutes and could aid in the search for Bella or her remains after getting his passengers settled.

**xxxxxxx**

**3:20 pm**

It only took Riley 10 minutes to make it to the outskirts of the Port Angeles airport with Victoria in his arms. He moved over behind an empty hangar, intending to leave her there while he arranged transportation for the two of them.

Unfortunately, Carlisle was wrong about how long it would take for the new humanoids to awaken. He thought it would happen at the same speed as it had for his family, who'd all been changed by the spell the witch had cast on them directly. What he didn't realize is that the cursed blood was far more potent and virile than the original spell had been. It worked at a geometric pace, rather than a linear one, sweeping through the body. Every cell touched by the blood transformed, and every transformed cell then acted to help the change progress. One pound of transformed venom/flesh became two, then four, then 8, 16, 32, 64, 128 . . . Instead of 6 days, it took less than 20 minutes to complete the transformation.

The moment Vicki awoke, her new blood acted as a siren song to Riley. He promptly attacked her before either of them knew what happened.

When Vicki regained consciousness a few minutes later, she ignored the screaming, writhing vampire on the ground nearby, too worried and confused about what had happened to her. _How the hell did I become human again? It must've been that little Swan witch! She did something to me! I'm going to the Volturi. They'll change me back and help me get my revenge!_

Victoria quickly found a pilot ready to fly, and since she had been a prostitute in her human life, she easily convinced him to take her on as a passenger, promising him a good time once they landed. She asked him not to report her presence, told him she was running away from an abusive ex-boyfriend and would be safe once she got to her sister's house. She was in the air and on her way to Seattle in less than five minutes, with no one the wiser.

**xxxxxxx**

**3:25 pm**

His mate's emotions were nearly nonexistent, indicating she was unconscious, but Jasper could tell she was still alive. He followed the pull in his chest, tracing the connection, heading straight for her. He could feel that she was close. He'd be to her in another minute or two, and he wondered what she was doing so far east of Forks, somewhere in the middle of the woods. One thing he knew for certain - if she was harmed in any way, there'd be hell to pay.

**xxxxxxx**

**AN:** Alrighty, folks. Lots of stuff going on here. What'd you think about Carlisle's choice? the situation with Vicki? the witch's diabolical plan?

Please review! I'm already getting started on the next chapter, hoping to have it up for you tomorrow morning . . .


	21. Changes and Attitudes

**AN: **Okay, there was a guest review that had me laughing hysterically, so I wanted to share it: "_I wonder how long Carlisle will be able to remain so self righteous with a family full of vampire magnets. I just hope he doesn't start collecting them like a crazy cat lady._"

Thanks to all of you who took the time to review! It always makes my day.

**Changes and Attitudes**

**3:25**

Carlisle arrived home to find the two newborns there had already awakened in their humanoid bodies. "How are you awake already?" he demanded, staring at them in shock. "It's supposed to take 6 days!"

He wondered if there was something different about them. He quickly carried the girls inside, dropping them down onto Jasper's and Alice's bed. He figured Jasper didn't sleep and Alice was staying on the reservation, so they had no need of it, unlike everyone else in the family.

_If these two follow the same pattern, they'll be awake in the next 5-10 minutes_, he realized. _Which means Victoria is probably awake too. Where's Jasper? I wish he was here! I don't know what to do. Nothing makes sense anymore._

**xxxxxxx**

**3:27**

Jasper raced through the forest, hearing his mate's stuttering heartbeat. His eyes scanned the trees as he ran, following the pull. He spotted her about 15 feet up, draped over a tree branch, hanging limply. The bastard who'd done it was long gone, the smell of wolves following his trail. "Track him," Jasper ordered. "Make sure he's dead."

Peter and Char ran off without a word, eager to destroy the asshole who'd dared injure their brother's mate. They followed the trail to the river and dived in, swimming along with the current, eagle eyes watching the bottom for evidence of the vampire's exit. They could tell he'd been through there recently, since the sediment had been disturbed by his passage.

Meanwhile, Jasper jumped up to the branch where his beloved rested and very carefully lifted her into his arms, jumping back to the ground with her. He laid her down gently and began searching her for injuries, quickly determining she had a broken neck.

Before he had a chance to complete his examination, he heard a menacing growl. A newborn with hungry black eyes sprinted toward him. "She's mine!" Raoul protested. "Back away!"

"She's my mate!" Jasper roared. "And you nearly killed her!"

In a matter of seconds Raoul was in pieces. Unfortunately, Jasper had used his lighter up on the previous batch of newborns he'd dispatched. He sent an emotional cocktail to Peter and Char letting them know to drop whatever they were doing and return to his side post haste.

Peter and Char had located the spot where the newborn had held himself underwater for several minutes then jumped out of the river and directly into a nearby tree. They'd started tracking him through the trees, realizing he was heading back toward the place where they'd found Bella, when they got the message from their sire. They dropped to the ground and hurried back to him, finding him inspecting his mate while surrounded by wriggling vampire pieces.

Jasper knew Bella's house was much closer than the Cullens' house, so he decided to run his mate there to turn her. Charlie already knew about his kind, so it wouldn't matter if he saw. Jasper would arrange for transport to a safer location once he had Bella stabilized. He wanted to get her inside a building though, not only for her comfort, but because he was unsure of the current situation with Victoria and the rest of her newborns. He couldn't risk being ambushed by an army while he'd be incapacitated by his mate's pain from the venom running through her veins, changing her.

With a nod of his head, he gestured for Peter and Char to gather up the puzzle pieces to bring back to Charlie's house, where he'd be able to roast them properly.

Leah and Seth had been backtracking along the river's edge when they heard vampires jump out of the river and start jumping through the trees. With Carlisle's warning of Raoul's likely method of travel firmly in their minds, having been delivered through Quil, they gave pursuit. Thus, they arrived just in time to see Jasper carefully pick up a limp, broken Bella in his arms, while Peter and Char started gathering body parts.

_They better not be planning to put him back together_, Leah thought crossly, relieved to see yellow eyes on the new vampires, rather than the freaky crimson of the ones who'd attacked the reservation earlier.

"Howdy! Did y'all come for the bonfire?" Peter asked cheerfully, seeming unfazed by the menacing beasts, though he subtly moved to get between them and his mate.

Both wolves nodded emphatically, able to hear how weak Bella's heartbeat was and see how pale and lifeless she seemed.

"Awesome! You don't happen to have a lighter on ya, do ya?" he asked hopefully.

Leah and Seth looked at each other then shook their heads disappointedly. Usually they carried a lighter in the pocket of their spare clothes, but with the emergency attack this afternoon, neither had taken the extra time to tie a set of clothes to their ankles before phasing.

"Right, well, we're gonna have to find one then. The Major indicated we should follow him, and he usually knows what he's doing. So, if you wanna grab a few parts and help carry, we can do this all in one trip, I think," Peter suggested.

The wolves shrugged and eagerly helped. Leah grabbed the torso, lifting it in the air with her teeth attached to the guy's belt. Seth carried one of the legs, though he dropped it the first time, having bit through the denim of the vampire's jeans and punctured its flesh. The bitter taste of venom on his tongue caused him to rapidly spit it out. He picked it up gingerly the second time, not wanting a repeat of the repugnant flavor.

Jasper raced ahead, bringing Bella into her room and lying her gently on her bed. He'd caught some disturbing scents on the way back to Charlie's house and took a minute to run back outside and investigate. Victoria had been there, along with four newborns. Carlisle and Edward had also been there, and Carlisle had started to chase after the newborn who had Bella, but had stopped just a few miles before he got to her and turned around to run back to the house instead.

_Why? Why had he left Bella hanging in a tree with a broken neck?_ Jasper wondered. If Carlisle's trail had suddenly headed toward the Cullen house instead, he'd have understood. If something had happened to Esme, she would always be Carlisle's first priority. After all, she was Carlisle's life, just as Bella was now his.

The only thing he could think of was that Carlisle must have heard Edward being attacked and had broken off his pursuit of Bella to save Edward instead. That might have been understandable, knowing the wolves were on Bella's trail and would be able to get to her faster than Carlisle himself. Yet, that theory didn't match the scents he'd found in the front yard. Carlisle had returned and put the two newborns into Edward's car, then driven away with Edward, who'd walked to the car under his own power.

There was no scent of spilled venom. The newborns appeared to be intact when Carlisle had put them in the car. _Why would he help the enemy over his own family? Perhaps one of the newborns had a gift? Something that clouded Carlisle's judgment?_ Jasper theorized. _Something that caused him to protect her life over his own children? A dangerous and powerful gift, to be sure! Something like Chelsea's gift perhaps._

He hoped for Carlisle's sake that he had a good reason for abandoning a fragile Bella in favor of the nearly immortal Edward once again, because as it stood, Jasper was ready to rip Carlisle to shreds and bury the pieces on different continents for a few decades.

The others arrived to the house and made a pile of parts in the backyard.

Jasper looked at the wolves and growled, "Bella has a broken neck. She's dying. I don't give a damn about the treaty - I'm changing her, and if you try to stop me or interfere in any way, I'll kill you in a heartbeat."

He looked fierce, incredibly intimidating, his black eyes glowing with an inner fire, and the wolves could see a glimpse of the Diablo so highly feared around the world. They knew he was deadly serious and knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that he was fully capable of following through. They'd shared in Jacob's experience with Jasper's gift through Jake's memories, which had proven they'd be helpless against the onslaught of emotion, no matter how hard they tried to fight it.

Both wolves promptly sat on their haunches, indicating their acceptance.

_Besides, she can always be turned back into a human or humanoid or whatever Alice is now_, Leah reassured herself. She liked the former vampire, admired her enthusiasm for life. She knew it was shallow, selfish, and self-centered of her, but she'd only agreed to give the little pixie a chance after learning Alice was giving the wolves $5 million dollars each as payment for all they had to give up to protect the tribe. Then, once she'd taken the time to get to know Jake's girl, she'd actually come to like her and enjoy spending time with her. Leah had intended to hate Alice on principle, not just for once being a leech, but primarily because Alice had essentially done to Jasper what Sam had done to her, broken up a long term relationship in favor of an imprint.

Jasper ran into the house without another word, with everyone else staring after him. They heard him whisper apologies to Bella then begin biting her in multiple places, sealing in his venom.

Peter rubbed the back of his head in confusion. "Well, alrightly then. Don't really know what bug crawled up his ass or what the hell has been going on here, but I reckon one of us needs to locate a lighter."

He went over to the grill and searched in the cabinet beneath it, but Bella had already taken the one from there. Seth phased human, intending to go into the house and look there. Peter and Char stared at the naked boy in shock for a second, before Peter flashed over and covered Char's eyes with his hand. "Damn, boy! My wife don't need to be seeing _that_! What if she suddenly decides she prefers bestiality over necrophilia? Then where would I be?"

Seth cracked up, trying to cover himself with his hands, and even Leah gave a wolfish grin. Char rolled her eyes beneath his hands, knowing he was trying to lighten the mood, like he usually did.

"You think that's bad, but that's my big sister," Seth replied, indicating Leah with his head. "Believe me, she wants to see _this_ even less than you do, but we didn't have time to grab a change of clothes before killing the vampires who were attacking our tribe this morning."

"Ah, I see. Too bad you can't keep a few strategically placed tufts of fur when you change back. Sister, eh? Well, if you want to change back, darling, I'll force myself to endure staring at your no doubt gorgeous, incredibly fit naked figure. It's a tough job, but I'm willing to take one for the team," Peter teased, waggling his eyebrows. Char elbowed him hard in the ribs, causing him to cry out and bend over in pain.

Char winked at Leah, who couldn't help feeling amused by Peter's words and antics, though she'd have been bristling if it were anybody else. Leah couldn't figure out what it was about this vampire that calmed her natural instincts. For some reason, she didn't want to kill him, didn't have the urge to decapitate him. Instead, she felt an odd sense of camaraderie, as if he was an annoying but amusing older brother. She didn't want to hurt him, and consequently, she didn't want to hurt his mate either, knowing that would hurt him as well.

"Sorry, sugar, but our spare clothes are still in the trunk of Jasper's car back in Seattle, or I'd gladly loan you something. You can have my coat if you want . . .," Char offered.

Seth winced, "Sorry, ma'am, but I'm afraid the scent would be a little too strong for us. I don't think we could keep human form with vampire scent so close to us. Our instincts would go into overdrive."

"Come get something of Bella's and Charlie's for them," Jasper called down, his voice pained.

Peter and Char quickly complied, finding the largest, loosest garments they could. Char took them outside, holding onto them with oven mitts she'd found in the kitchen to keep her scent from saturating the clothes. The wolves were highly appreciative of her thoughtfulness.

Meanwhile, Peter searched through the kitchen drawers until he found a matchbook. He also made a side trip into the pantry and the fridge.

He strolled outside and tossed a package of hot dogs to Seth. "There's nothing that says bonfire better than toasting marshmallows, but I couldn't find any, so I figured hot dogs would have to do," Peter declared. "I've got the matches, if you want to grab a stick. This puppy is gonna burn hot and fast, so you gotta be ready before I start it."

Leah shook her head and rolled her eyes, but Seth decided to play along. He grabbed the large fork from under the grill and speared a hot dog onto it. "Okay, ready," he announced cheerfully.

Peter grinned and dropped a lit match onto the pile of Raoul's parts.

**xxxxxxx**

**AN:** So Bella's changing and Jasper's not a happy camper. What do you think he's going to do when he finds out what's been happening?


	22. Ashes to Ashes

**Ashes to Ashes**

Peter wrapped his arm around Char as they watched the flames dance. "Ah, there's nothing like sitting by the vampfire to warm you up on a chilly spring day," he murmured appreciatively.

Char giggled and snuggled closer. Leah rolled her eyes, but couldn't hide her smirk, and Seth dramatically roasted his hot dog in the briefly roaring fire with a sense of satisfaction. The others watched as Seth took a bite, then spit it out on the ground.

"Ugh, too sweet," he complained. Everyone laughed.

"So, your tribe was attacked earlier today, clearly something went down here, and we were attacked as well. This Victoria character managed a multi-faceted approach. Rather sophisticated, divide and conquer. How effective was it?" Peter asked. "Is anybody hurt?"

"Two innocent humans were killed on the reservation," Leah declared. "But they were the only casualties, other than Bella. We burned the three vampires who came on our land and helped with the one here. Apparently the Cullens burned one of the ones who attacked their house too, but they've let the other ones live."

"What?" Jasper roared from upstairs. "Why? Are they stupid?"

"Yes," Leah agreed. "Fucking insane. Carlisle wanted us to let this one here go too, but according to Alice, he was planning to rape Bella before killing her, so I had no intention of going easy on him."

Jasper roared wordlessly, rattling the windows.

"I get that Carlisle's a pacifist, but that's taking things too far," Char mumbled angrily.

"Speaking of Alice, I thought she was Jasper's mate," Peter added, confused. "Where the hell is she?"

"She left him, broke up with him, after Jacob, one of our pack members, imprinted on her," Leah explained bitterly.

"That's impossible," Peter denied. "Vampire mating is forever. They were bonded, it's unbreakable. And how could a shifter possibly imprint on a vampire? The smell alone would drive them both crazy!"

"She wasn't a vampire anymore. She got cursed by a witch to become human again," Seth clarified. "Somehow, when she became human, their bond weakened because it wasn't supernatural anymore. Though, I don't really understand that because Jasper is still a vampire. Anyway, they grew apart and when she met Jacob, he imprinted on her and she accepted it, cutting ties with Jasper completely."

"She was the source of the bond, having seen me in her visions and fallen for me decades before I ever met her," Jasper called down. "So when she willingly went to the witch and asked to be changed, it destroyed our bond."

"Damn, Jay, looks like _you_ should've invested in a pumpkin shell," Peter chided, hugging Char closer. "Worked well for me."

"Shut up, asshole," Jasper grumbled.

Char noticed Leah and Seth staring at Peter uncomprehendingly. "Emmett likes to call Peter, 'Peter, Peter pumpkin eater', as a silly nickname. It's from the nursery rhyme," she explained. Not seeing any light of recognition in their eyes, she continued, "That's the first line of the rhyme. The rest is: had a wife but couldn't keep her, put her in a pumpkin shell, and there he kept her very well."

"That doesn't make any sense," Seth replied.

"Yeah, the joke loses its funny when you have to explain it," Peter grumbled, pouting. "So the pixiepire is human now, but somehow I'm betting she's not the only one."

"All the Cullens except Carlisle stepped into the noose," Jasper declared darkly. "And I was barely able to stop _him_. The witch admitted it was a curse, that her intentions were evil, yet they all lined up for her magic without considering the consequences, like sheep to the slaughter."

"Wow, so we've got five former vampires with knowledge of our kind running around," Peter whistled. "That's not going to go over well with the Volturi."

"There's more now," Leah admitted with disgust. "The ones the Cullens didn't burn are all changing too. According to Dr. Fang, the blood of the former leeches is cursed and contagious. It not only changes the suckers who drink it, but the scent enslaves them the moment they smell it, so they don't even care about their own self-preservation anymore. You can set them on fire or attempt to decapitate them, while they're drinking, and they won't even flinch."

"I knew it! That fucking witch has introduced a plague!" Jasper yelled. He used the phone by Bella's bed to call Carlisle.

"Hello?" Carlisle asked, not sure who was on the other line. "Bella?"

"Bella nearly died, no thanks to you!" Jasper snarled. "You left her hanging from a tree limb with a broken neck! What the hell were you thinking?!"

"Oh! The wolves were on her trail, so I thought they would keep her safe. There were screaming, convulsing people lying on the Police Chief's front lawn. I couldn't let the humans find them. If they'd taken them to the hospital, we would've been exposed!" Carlisle defended.

"Why the hell didn't you just burn them? Edward could've taken care of it while you took care of Bella!"

"No! They're still so young! They could go home to their families!" Carlisle protested.

"Families? You think Victoria chose innocent school children and productive, law-abiding citizens for her army?" Jasper huffed. "They're prostitutes, druggies, and criminals, Carlisle! You wouldn't be doing anybody any favors by releasing them back into society. Even if that were an option, at best, they're humans who know the secret and can't be turned, which means an automatic death penalty. At worst, they're carriers of a plague designed to exterminate our kind. It's too dangerous to let them live. They need to be eliminated!"

"I'm sure we could convince them not to tell anyone what they've seen," Carlisle began.

"Are you kidding me?!" Jasper interrupted. "You already said you couldn't let the humans find them because medical tests on them would quickly expose them as nonhuman! What do you think is the first thing that would happen when they show up after being missing for months? It's too risky, even if they weren't vampire magnets! If you let them go to live their lives, they'd draw in other vampires, passing on the curse. Word would get back to the Volturi, who would trace it back to Edward and the others, and they'd execute your entire family! Your only hope of protecting your mate and your children is to keep this mess contained. Once the Volturi learn of their folly, they'll all be destroyed!"

Carlisle sighed, but couldn't come up with anything else to say in his defense.

"Kill them all _now_, Carlisle!" Jasper ordered. "I'm coming over there with Bella, Peter, Char, and two wolves, and the enemy better all be dead by the time we get there. I want to see and smell the ashes."

"I thought you said Bella's neck is broken? You shouldn't move her! It can cause worse damage! I'll come over there," Carlisle hastily interjected, worried.

"She's got enough venom in her system now to stabilize her for the move," Jasper calmly replied. "You just . . ."

"You bit her?!" Carlisle shrieked, interrupting. "You broke the treaty! The wolves will come after us now!"

"Who's afraid of the big, bad wolves? Not me!" Jasper growled. "If they're feeling ready to die, they're welcome to attempt retaliation, but there was no way in _hell_ I was going to allow MY MATE to _die_! Personally, I believe they're a lot smarter than that and will accept the situation as unavoidable, since _you_ didn't do _your_ job in protecting her, choosing to experiment with the newbies instead!"

"Your _mate_?" Carlisle asked confused. "Are you . . . do you mean _Bella_?"

"Yes, Carlisle, I mean Bella," Jasper retorted. "You left my mate in the hands of a murdering rapist so you could go play scientist, abandoning the girl you called_ daughter_ to die in the woods, just like your stupid son. I thought you learned from your previous mistakes not to choose Eddie over Bella, but obviously I was wrong. You're even worse at being a father than at being a coven leader! Believe me, I'm going to teach you a lesson you'll never forget."

"Oh, shit!" Carlisle muttered under his breath. "Jasper, I . . ."

"Save your breath, old man," Jasper snapped, not interested in hearing apologies or excuses. "You'd better have ashes for me by the time I get there, or it's going to be worse for you, I assure you."

Jasper hung up the phone, carefully restraining himself from crushing it the way he wanted to do.

"Um, is it really such a bad thing to let them live?" Seth hesitantly questioned.

Peter looked at him seriously. "One of the kings, Aro Volturi, has the ability to read every thought you've ever had in your entire existence with the touch of his hand. Another of the kings, Caius, has been working for centuries toward the extinction of werewolves all around the globe. You may not be Children of the Moon, like he's used to seeing, but since you're able to kill vampires, I doubt he'll care about the distinction between your two species. If they come for the Cullens, they'll find out about your existence and then they'll deliberately wipe out your entire tribe to remove the threat you represent. With the way this curse works, making their blood irresistible to other vampires, who then become cursed as well after drinking, it wouldn't take long for word to reach the Volturi, and then heads will roll. So, you have to make a choice between the lives of the former vampires who were created to kill you and the lives of your entire tribe. I'm sorry you have to see this stuff at such a young age, but this is war, and sometimes sacrifices have to be made for the greater good."

Seth flinched, but nodded understandingly.

Leah's mind was spinning at the revelation of Jasper and Bella being mates. She'd felt the love Carlisle had for Esme through Jacob's memories. That had done as much to change the perspective the pack had on vampires as Alice herself had. Well, along with the pain they'd felt from Bella, knowing how much it had hurt her to be separated from her mate when Edward left - as much as it would've hurt one of them to be separated from their imprints. Now that the shifters knew the depths of love vampires were capable of feeling and the strength of their mating bonds, all while getting to know and love a former vampire who'd become one of their own, they couldn't help but recognize the vampires as individuals. They were 'people' now, each of whom had the ability to make a moral choice between right and wrong.

To further confuse the issue, Leah found herself liking Peter, for reasons she couldn't explain. She even liked him better than most of her pack brothers. She was comfortable in his presence, even sitting close to him in her human form, allowing herself to be vulnerable. As much as it shocked her, she trusted him. She trusted him not to lose control, not to attack her without provocation, and not to hurt her, which was more than she could say for anyone else in her life other than Seth. She furrowed her brow, realizing she was _enjoying_ his company, even though he was clearly a very dangerous, war-hardened vampire.

Everything in her life had been turned on its head in the past few days, calling everything she ever thought she knew into question. She'd felt sorry for both Jasper and Bella for losing the people they loved, just as she had. Now she was finding out that the two of them had been given a second chance by the universe. They'd found their forever love with each other. It was fitting. Most of all, though, it gave her hope. Perhaps there was someone out there for her too, a soul mate of her own, someone who would love, cherish, and adore her the way she wanted, needed. If Jasper and Bella could start over again and come out on top, then maybe she could too.

Jasper came out of the house cradling Bella in his arms. The group could hear how strong her heartbeat was now as it pushed the venom through her system. He climbed into the bed of her truck, settling her in his lap. He threw the keys to Leah, who caught them with surprise.

"You've seen the way to get to the Cullen house in Jacob's mind, haven't you?" Jasper asked her. She nodded. "Then you should drive."

Peter and Char joined Jasper in the bed of the truck, while Leah and Seth climbed into the cab. All of them wondered what they'd find when they got there, hoping Carlisle would make the right choice.

**xxxxxxx**

**AN:** What do you think Carlisle will do?


	23. Out of Control

**AN: **Remember, the initial attack started at 3pm, so a lot of things have happened in a very short period of time.

**Out of Control**

**3:35**

Carlisle heard the dial tone, indicating Jasper had hung up the phone and cursed violently in his mind. He was stuck between a rock and a hard place. He heard the rational voice in his head arguing that Jasper was right, that the newcomers needed to die to protect his mate and the rest of his family. That part of him was also horrified that he'd waited so long to pursue Bella, staying to allow the two newborns to change instead of simply dispatching them. He could have decapitated them both within two or three seconds and been on his way, coming back later to carefully detach the heads from Edward's throat if they didn't fall off on their own, instead of waiting the full thirty seconds to ensure the process of initiating the change was successful.

The voice inside couldn't believe he also then gave up the chase to save his daughter, allowing her to be injured and nearly killed, simply to return to Edward and the changing ones. He couldn't understand what had possessed him to sacrifice his own child's well-being to protect his enemy, people who had been intent on beheading and burning him. He knew it was wrong, yet whatever was controlling his actions now drove him to gather up the four changelings and hurry them into the Volvo.

"Tell Jasper I'm taking care of it," he commanded Edward, before driving away. As soon as he hit the tarmac at the end of the driveway, he pressed the accelerator to the floor, traveling close to 150 mph as often as possible, thankful for his enhanced reflexes that allowed him to maintain control of the vehicle as he zipped around the curves, overtaking other cars in his rush to get away.

**xxxxxxx**

**3:40**

Riley awoke, alone and abandoned, hidden on the edge of the airfield in Port Angeles. He groggily looked around in confusion as his memories assaulted him. The last thing he remembered was running away from the Swan girl with a tortured Victoria in his arms. He inhaled deeply, trying to catch his mate's scent, and quickly realized he didn't have the same skills he'd gotten used to having for the past 11 months.

He put his hand on his chest, feeling the heart beating inside him in bewilderment._ I'm human again! How did that happen? It must have been the Swan witch and her merry band of freaks! They stole my mate and rendered me a pathetic weakling once again!_ Riley panicked. He took a few deep breaths to calm down, realizing he still had his backpack on him with his ID and the cash Victoria had stored with him. _First things first, I need to become a vampire again so I can track down my mate_, he decided.

He fought through the hazy memories of his time as a supernatural creature, looking for something to help him. _Ah, ha! Victoria went to Mexico to learn about newborn armies. I'll go there. I'm sure they'll be happy to help me once they realize what a threat the Swan witch is to our kind._

He carefully made his way into the airport, finding a charter service on the premises willing to fly him down to Portland, where he'd be able to catch a flight to Mexico. Once he flashed his bundle of cash, the two of them were in the air and on their way in record time.

**xxxxxxx**

**3:42**

"If the cursed Cullens' scents are supposedly irresistible, like Carlisle claimed, why haven't you or he succumbed to the temptation yet?" Char wondered. The truck bumped along at what felt like a crawling pace to the vampires sitting in back of it, though they knew by the whining of the engine that Leah was pushing it as fast as it could go. Unfortunately, the truck was no longer capable of going more than 60 mph.

Jasper frowned. "I don't know. Perhaps because of the familial bonds we share?"

"If that's what it is, then shouldn't Carlisle have drunk from the new people?" Peter asked.

Jasper nodded. "Yeah, you're right. Maybe because of our control? The others have all been newborns."

"No, Victoria drank from Edward and started changing," Leah offered from the cab as she drove. "So it doesn't affect just newborns."

"Thank goodness you guys chased after Victoria. Otherwise she would've gotten away," Jasper replied.

Seth turned to look at him through the back window. "She did get away. One of her men grabbed her and ran."

"What?! Why didn't anybody pursue her? Why am I only just now being told this?" Jasper growled. "There's _eight_ of you! What are the rest of the wolves _doing_?"

Seth flinched. "Protecting the tribe in case there are any more newborns around?"

"There were 15 newborns plus Victoria," Jasper snarled. "You killed three on the reservation, we killed five on the way here and another a few minutes ago. I detected four other scents, including Victoria's at Bella's house. How many attacked the Cullen house?"

"Three," Seth answered. "They killed one and two more were changing."

"That's all of them then. So Carlisle only has four new changelings? Victoria and her second in command got away!" Jasper grumbled. "Seth, you need to hop out and get your brothers on her tail. Peter and Char will go with you. Alice saw her going to the Volturi. We need to stop her before she can. Pete, Char, hold your breath until they're both ash."

Leah pulled over on the side of the road to let Seth out of the truck. He stepped behind a tree to strip, then tossed the clothes back into the truck with his teeth.

Jasper was worried about having the Whitlocks around the Cullens, uncertain of whether or not they'd be affected by the spell. He figured he'd also better get his newborn mate well away from them before she awakened, unsure of how the scent of their blood would affect her and unwilling to risk her changing into one of them. She was his first priority, and he'd do whatever it took to protect her.

**3:50**

Bella's truck pulled up in front of the Cullen house, the noise of the engine loud enough to alert those inside, even with their human level of hearing. Leah slammed the driver's side door in disgust, hoping she'd never have to drive the ancient rust bucket again. With the speed she'd been introduced to with her new running skills, she found herself impatient with such a slow moving beast. She could run much faster than it could drive even when still in her human form.

Jasper carefully hopped out of the back, cradling Bella gently in his arms. Esme pulled open the front door, running out on the front porch. She gasped when she saw Bella's limp form. The Cullens hadn't been privy to Carlisle's phone conversation, and thus, had no idea what had happened to her.

Edward was on Esme's heels and cried out when he saw Bella. "Oh, no! What happened to her? Is she okay?"

"Where's Carlisle?" Jasper growled.

"He just left with the newly cursed," Rose declared, stepping around Edward to see what the fuss was about. Her eyes widened when she saw Bella's unconscious form.

"He told me to tell you he was 'taking care of it'," Edward relayed.

"He better be," Jasper muttered, feeling uneasy. _Why didn't he just kill them here?_

"Taking care of what?" Esme asked, innocently.

"Killing them," Jasper snarled.

"What? No! He's going to return them to their families!" Esme immediately protested.

"He better not be!" Jasper threatened. "Or I'll rip him apart! I ordered him to kill them!"

"Why?!" Esme wailed. "They're just children! They didn't know any better!"

Jasper shook his head. "Those 'children' tried to kill _you_ and _your_ children, Esme. They attempted to kill your _mate_, and they wouldn't have felt any remorse over it either. They're the enemy! You can't keep them, and they can't go home, even presuming they _had_ a home in the first place. If Carlisle releases them, they'll expose us and bring the Volturi down on your entire family, not to mention the tribe. Hundreds of innocent men, women, and children, an entire culture, would be wiped off the face of the planet to render the shifter genome extinct. I know you don't want that on your conscience, Esme! Those four strangers, those _enemy soldiers_ have to die to protect your mate and your children."

_He better have just taken them away from the house to kill them because he didn't want to upset his mate, because if he's trying to set them free, he's going to be very sorry_, Jasper thought. _Surely he can't be that stupid! He knows letting them go would risk his mate's life. He couldn't possibly be willing to hurt her in order to save four strangers! It goes against our instincts._

_Better safe than sorry_, Jasper decided. Turning to Leah, he murmured, "I need you to inform Seth and the others to keep an eye out for Carlisle and the others while they're tracking Victoria, just in case."

She nodded, moving behind the truck to shift, quickly stripping off her clothes and shifting into wolf form.

Edward had moved to get a closer look at Bella while Jasper was talking to Esme, and Emmett had come outside to join Rosalie on the front porch, wrapping his arms around her. "What's wrong with her?" Edward queried worriedly at the same time Emmett boomed, "What happened to Bella?"

"She's changing," Jasper began.

"What?! How could you?! Now the best she can hope for is this pitiful, sterile half-life we've been given," Edward raged. "You've taken away everything that matters from her!"

Jasper wished he wasn't holding his beloved at the moment so his hands would be free to inflict bodily harm on the boy.

He was about to use his gift to torture Edward, when to his surprise and delight, Leah came marching around the front of the truck back in human form again and kicked Edward hard right between his legs from directly behind him. He sank to his knees with a high pitched squeak, and she began smacking his head and shoulders with the palms of her hands.

"You fucking imbecile! You ripped her heart right out of her chest, leaving her as a broken shell for _months_ because you were too much of a pussy to man up to what needed to be done to keep her love forever. Unlike _you_, _Jasper_ wasn't stupid enough to abandon _his_ mate in the woods to die. Now Bella has a new mate who loves her enough to save her and keep her by his side, strong and happy for eternity, and _you're_ still stuck on your own pathetic pity party!" Leah shouted. "Grow up and get over it already! You can't control _what_ you are, but you _can_ choose what you do with it. You can choose to be miserable and hate yourself and your existence, or you can accept it and make the best of it. Happiness is a choice _you_ haven't had the balls to make. Misery is easy, happiness takes effort."

"How can you say that?" Edward protested, his voice cracking. "He stole her life from her!"

"Bella was dying! She had a broken neck and her heart was failing! We all heard it, dipshit!" Leah countered. "She didn't have a life left to steal. I may not care for vampires as a rule, but it beats being dead! Besides, I'd never try to take away someone else's mate. I know how much it hurts to lose the ones you love."

She shoved Edward face down into the dirt and stood over him, hands on her hips. Jasper sent her a wave of his pride, gratitude, and approval, and she smirked.

Edward groaned and rolled over, looking up at her crossly. "What do you mean? She can't be his . . . . mate?" Just before he spoke the last word, his eyes met hers, and he got lost in them. She froze in place, looking like she'd been hit by a tsunami.

Suddenly, she started shaking her head, muttering, "Oh, no, no! No fair! Not him! He just too white and nerdy!"

Emmett laughed and began humming Weird Al Yankovic's "White & Nerdy". He'd had a field day when the song first came out, torturing Edward with it, claiming it described him perfectly.

"I'm sorry, Leah," Jasper commiserated, trying to hide his amusement. He sensed Esme's confusion and informed her, "Leah just imprinted on Edward."

"Oh, that's wonderful!" Esme gushed. "He finally won't be lonely anymore, and he'll have the protection of the pack against any future vampire attacks!"

Edward stared up at Leah as if she was a goddess.

She sighed and offered him a hand to help him up, unable to stay cross with him no matter how much she wanted to be. "If you're going to be my man, though, you'd better grow the fuck up and act like it, because I won't put up with any of that whiny, self-loathing bullshit," she warned him.

"Uh . . . um . . . yes, dear?" he replied, dazed.

"Guess this definitely shoots the theory of imprinting for the purpose of procreation all to hell," she muttered to herself. "Though what the universe was thinking to pair the two of us together, I'll never know."

**xxxxxxx**

**AN:** What do you think?


	24. Damage Control

**Damage Control**

**3:53**

Peter, Char, and Seth traced Riley's and Victoria's scents to the airport in Port Angeles, but both of the targets were already in the air. They moved back into the forest, and Seth quickly changed into his human form long enough to communicate the message from Jasper with regard to Carlisle and the changelings.

"Shit!" Peter cursed. "We've already lost the two most dangerous of these creatures. We sure as hell can't afford to lose any more!"

He and Seth started watching the road into Port Angeles several miles from the outskirts of the town, while Char ran into the local Wal-mart and grabbed a change of clothes and some food for Seth.

At 3:58 pm, the wolf and vampire duo spotted the Volvo approaching at high speed. Peter and Seth jumped out into the road, causing Carlisle to swerve to avoid them, sending the car careening off the road and into a tree. Carefully holding his breath, Peter tore open the passenger side door and started ripping off heads. He knew the humanoids were fast healers but figured they wouldn't be able to recover from decapitation.

Seth kept Carlisle in place, guarding the driver's side door. The humanoids barely had time to panic before they were all dead, their blood filling the Volvo.

As soon as they were all dead, Carlisle seemed to come out of a trance. "Oh, thank heavens! I was under some kind of mind control and couldn't stop myself! I've been a prisoner in my own body for almost an hour now! I was so afraid I was going to send these guys out into the world, which would've condemned my mate and the rest of my family, but I couldn't make myself stop! It was horrifying!"

Peter looked at him skeptically. "I don't think that's going to help you much with the Major, considering you abandoned his mate to die."

"Oh, no! I'll never forgive myself! How is Bella? Was he able to save her?" Carlisle cried, looking nervously over at Seth.

"She's changing, no thanks to you," Peter grumbled. "The wolves know all about it - Seth and Leah were there and heard her heart failing. They knew better than to get between the Major and his mate."

"Okay, good," Carlisle murmured, nodding appreciatively. "Look, I know Jasper is going to be angry, and he has every right to be, but I assure you I wasn't in control of my own actions. It felt like I'd been possessed! I think I was under the influence of the witch's spell, though it didn't affect me the same way as it did the human drinkers. I was compelled to ensure the success of the transformation and to send the newly changed out into the world where they'd come in contact with other vampires, even though I knew it would be a death sentence for myself, my mate, and my children to do so. Forget self-preservation - I couldn't even act to save my _mate_, which is usually the strongest force in our world!"

Carlisle began to do damage control, quickly destroying the VIN (_Vehicle Identification Number_) everywhere it was located in the Volvo so the car couldn't be traced back to Edward. Peter ripped off the license plates, while Carlisle opened the trunk and grabbed the duffle bag full of cash intended to help the changelings on their way. Peter flipped the car upside down hard, crushing the roof extensively to explain away the detached heads, punctured the gas tank, then tossed over a lit match from the matchbook he'd picked up at the Swans' house.

Char joined them shortly thereafter, watching the flames with approval, counting the number of torsos trapped inside the flattened vehicle to be sure they'd gotten them all.

**xxxxxxx**

**3:58**

Amidst the craziness of the congratulations pouring out from the Cullens toward the new couple, Jasper carried Bella inside, intending to lay her down on his bed. Once he got in his room though, he realized Carlisle had brought the female changelings in there. He snarled, smelling their scent on the bed covers, refusing to place his mate down on top of their stench. Snarling, he carefully laid Bella down on the carpet, then made quick work of stripping the bed down to the mattress. A few sniffs determined that the enemies' scents hadn't penetrated that far, so he put Bella on top of the bare mattress.

_I don't want my mate in this crazy house_, Jasper decided, irritated and angry. He felt betrayed by Carlisle and to some extent the rest of the family as well. He began packing up his belongings, grabbing everything of importance. _When Peter and Char get back, we're out of here. Maybe the pack can protect them from their folly, but I doubt it. They're going down, and I'm not letting them take us down with them._

**xxxxxxx**

**4:02**

The pilot expertly guided his plane into a long-term storage hangar at the Seattle airport. He smiled as he told his passenger this was his home airport, and he rented the space out on an annual contract so he'd be able to fly whenever he wanted. Now that he was retired, he often liked to go off on little adventures on the spur of the moment.

Victoria absorbed all the information she'd gently pried from him without him realizing how much he was revealing. He was divorced and his children lived out of state. Nobody would miss him for several weeks. As soon as he cut the engine and moved to unfasten his harness, she stabbed him in the neck with the Philips head screw driver she'd found. She left him there to die, a shocked expression locked on his face, purloining his wallet and car keys.

She'd discovered she needed a passport if she was going to fly to Italy, which she didn't have. She'd need to kill someone who had one, someone who wouldn't be missed in the time it would take for her to reach her destination. She'd dye her hair to match her victim, choosing someone whose features would match closely enough to avoid suspicion.

She hopped in the deceased man's Audi and sped away, heading north toward Canada.

**xxxxxxx**

Leah regaled her new in-laws with the tale of what Alice had seen happening to Bella in her vision, her and her brother's subsequent chase of the vile newborn who'd lost them by hiding in the river, and Jasper's heroic save of the young girl who'd been left hanging unconscious in a tree, unseen by the wolves as they raced past, focused on the scent they were following. Leah apologized to Jasper, knowing he would hear her, even though he wasn't in the same room.

"We had no idea Bella had been thrown into a tree. We thought the bastard still had her with him," she explained. "It never occurred to us to search the treetops for him either, after he got away. In hind sight, our focus on the ground is pretty short-sighted. We just knew that was the fastest way to travel for both our species."

Esme was deeply disturbed when she discovered Carlisle had allowed her human daughter to be taken and had broken off pursuit once the wolves joined the chase. She knew from the things he'd let slip while he was watching the female soldiers writhe on the bed in the midst of transformation that he hadn't given chase right away, but had stayed to watch the evil harpies drink from Edward. The mental image of her husband simply standing there staring while their son was attacked and an evil rapist made off with their daughter haunted her.

Jasper had shown her how much Carlisle loved her, but she was starting to have her doubts the longer Carlisle stayed gone on his 'errand'. Jasper had helped her see how much the family stood to lose if the other changelings got loose in the world, yet she was becoming more and more certain her husband was intending to let them go. She had always admired Carlisle's compassion for others, but it had never before been given at the expense of his own family before. _How could he put the well-being of strangers over his own loved ones?_ she wondered, disheartened.

She loved Edward, she did, but his personality had been wearing on her ever since she'd returned to a more human state. She no longer had endless amounts of patience and understanding to deal with his self-centered angst. She was quite relieved to pass on the mantle of responsibility for him to his new mate. Perhaps the pack will be better able to keep him from pursuing the type of youthful folly that had led to the destruction of this family from the inside out, she thought bitterly.

She hated this humanoid thing she'd become and blamed Edward, though she knew a large amount of the blame was her own. She'd been seduced into changing by promises of biological children belonging to her and Carlisle. As much as she loved her vampire children, the thought of growing a life inside of her, of holding a tiny bundle of joy in her arms again, of nursing a beloved babe, the miraculous creation of her and her mate's boundless love for one another had been too incredible to resist. Edward had known the secret desires of her heart, having overheard many stray thoughts over the decades, and had used the knowledge against her, promising her the world.

She'd believed his dreamy words over Jasper's dire warnings, trusting her first vampire son to know the witch's plans. Edward had claimed the witch had changed other vampires before him who'd then gone on to lead happy lives in the human world, no longer held back by bloodlust and fears of exposure. Edward hadn't informed any of them about the loss of his mind-reading talent until after they woke up from the change to Alice screeching about being unable to see the future anymore. At the time, none of the former vampires had stopped to think about how he'd known about the lives of the other vampires who'd gone before if he wasn't able to hear the witch's thoughts. It wasn't until after the ultrasound test proved the women barren that Edward had admitted he'd simply imagined all the things he'd said about the happy vampires who'd been changed before. It was nothing but pretty lies he'd told, his own wishful delusions.

Esme thought of all the things she'd stressed over prior to her change, all the questions she'd asked in her mind believing Edward could hear. _Are you sure this is safe? Are you certain she doesn't mean us any harm? Are you positive I'll be able to have babies?_

Edward had looked her in the eye and nodded his head firmly, confidently. So she'd trusted him, believed him, taking comfort in his peaceful, happy, joyful, excited demeanor, a look she'd never seen on his face as a vampire. He'd read the questions in her eyes instead of her mind and deliberately lied to her. She'd doomed herself and her mate with her choice to change, ignoring the worries voiced by her overly-cautious, paranoid son - the one who didn't trust anyone. She'd dismissed Jasper's lack of faith as a result of his traumatic life history, the product of years living in strict survival mode.

_Jasper was right all along - about the witch, Edward, Victoria, the pack, Bella, and the newborns. He's right not to trust Carlisle now too,_ she thought despairingly. _I should've trusted his survival instincts. There's a reason he's still standing, living free, when so many others are nothing but ash in the wind._

Leah could see the wheels turning behind Esme's eyes, could see the doubts forming, and wondered what it meant for Esme's bond with Carlisle. Like the others, Leah had lost faith in the good doctor. She was the only one in the room who could hear Jasper packing upstairs and knew he planned to leave town with Bella, abandoning the former vampires to their own fate to protect himself and his mate._ I don't blame him. If I wasn't irrevocably tied to the pack, I'd grab Edward and leave too_, she admitted to herself.

**xxxxxxx**

**AN:** Now you know Carlisle was trapped under a spell to ensure the success of the propagation of the curse. How do you think Jasper should handle it? What would you do if you were in Jasper's shoes? Or Esme's for that matter?


	25. Paying the Piper

**Paying the Piper**

**4:13**

Jasper and Leah alerted to the thunderous sound of multiple pairs of feet approaching at a rapid pace through the forest. Jasper was out of the house and ripping off Carlisle's arms before Leah knew what was happening. In the few seconds it took her to follow Jasper outside, Carlisle's legs were flying off in different directions as well.

Leah saw a torn duffle bag lying on its side a few feet away from where Jasper was tearing into Carlisle, spilling bundles of hundred dollar bills out onto the ground. She stared at it in awe, never having seen so much money in one place before. Part of her wanted to grab it and run, but she reminded herself she'd soon be rich thanks to Jakey's little seer.

"Did you burn them?" Jasper demanded, addressing the limbless torso.

Whimpering in pain, Carlisle winced at the question, nodding then shaking his head. "Peter did. They're all dead now."

Jasper looked to Peter for confirmation. Peter nodded, then added, "But Victoria and her second in command both got away. They took off in airplanes before we got there. I found out their flight plans and told Seth, so he could send the other wolves to try and intercept them. Unfortunately, Victoria definitely had enough of a head start that they'll never make it to Seattle before she lands, but perhaps she can be traced from there. The timing will be closer for the other guy."

Jasper growled and bit into Carlisle's neck, intending to decapitate him.

"Carlisle did say he was under a spell and had no control over his actions," Char quickly interjected.

Carlisle's neck was only partially severed, as Jasper stopped before removing it completely. He looked up at Peter and Char for more information.

Peter sighed. "Yeah, he claimed it felt like he was possessed and seemed pretty remorseful for the things he'd done, including the way he'd abandoned your mate."

Jasper assessed Carlisle's emotions carefully.

"Were you really under a spell?" he asked, using the full force of his gift evaluate Carlisle's emotional reaction. "Or did you just say that hoping it would save your ass?"

Carlisle croaked, trying to respond verbally, but his vocal cords had been damaged by Jasper's assault, rendering him unable to speak. It didn't matter though. Jasper could read his emotions clearly enough.

Jasper narrowed his eyes. "Fine, I suppose you get to live after all."

He leaned down and tore a chunk out of Carlisle's cheek with his teeth, then spit it out on the ground next to them. Carlisle made groaning sounds deep in his chest. Jasper dribbled his venom into the hole he'd created, deliberately scarring the tissue. "That's for my mate," he growled, shoving the vampire away from him. "Now you'll no longer have such a pretty face. It'll be a reminder for you of how much you failed her every time you look in the mirror."

Esme gasped, having made it out of the house by then, but she didn't try to interfere. She'd known ever since she heard what happened that her husband would be punished. Seeing the bag full of money on the ground, she felt he deserved whatever Jasper dished out, knowing Carlisle had intended to release the changelings into the world. Still, she loved him, while hating his actions, so when Jasper went back inside, leaving Carlisle lying there in the dirt, she hurried over to him.

Taking pity on her, Peter quietly informed Esme of what Carlisle had said when they confronted him, giving her the ability to forgive him for what he'd done. She nodded and thanked him, then slowly worked on helping Carlisle piece himself back together. She put the chunk of cheek back in place, holding it as it fused. It didn't heal evenly, due to the foreign venom in the wound, leaving a jagged lumpiness even her human eyes could easily detect. Instead of repulsing her, she found she liked the irregularity to his features. It made him less perfect in her eyes, more human, more approachable.

Esme had a hard time finding the missing limbs and then dragging them back to his side once she did, but she persevered, knowing he was in terrible pain the entire time. It helped that the missing parts were wriggling around, making noise, as they tried to get back to their owner.

Jasper watched Char carefully as she entered the house, noticing she was holding her breath like he'd warned her before. "Go ahead and take a breath. I won't let you get close enough to drink from them if their scent affects you."

Char cautiously inhaled. The former vampires were sweet smelling, but she didn't want to drink from them. She didn't lose herself. She sniffed, breathing in their scents, and relaxed, knowing she wouldn't attack.

"Curious. Is it the animal blood or the knowledge of what would happen that's preventing you from attacking?" Jasper wondered aloud. "Or perhaps your strength of mind? You've never been bonded to them as coven mates as I once was, so that rules that out."

Peter came into the house holding his breath as well.

"Did you breath at all around the other changelings?" Jasper inquired. Peter shook his head, but didn't speak. He'd used up all his air informing Esme what Carlisle had said. "Go ahead and try to breath now. I promise I won't let you drink from them."

Peter nodded, trusting his sire. He inhaled and relaxed, realizing he was still under control. "Now what?"

"We're getting Bella out of here. I won't risk her attacking one of them when she awakens," Jasper informed them. "The consequences are too severe."

Peter and Char nodded in agreement, relieved to get away from the former vampires and the danger they represented.

Emmett and Rosalie had been having a snack in the kitchen together, oblivious to the chaos around them. They entered the living room now and noticed Peter and Char had arrived.

"Well, if it isn't Peter and his Pumpkin!" Emmett cheered. "How's it going, guys?"

Peter gave him a small half-smile and shrugged. "Not well, Emmy. Victoria and her minion got away."

"Shit! That's not good!" Emmett exclaimed, looking worriedly over at Rosalie.

Rose scowled. "That stupid bitch is going to get us all killed." She turned and glared at Edward. "This is all your fault, Edward! You like to us about the witch, promised us babies and happy human lives, none of which is possible for us. At least now I understand why we're sterile. It wouldn't be right to force a child to be a vampire magnet or to be raised by vampire magnets. We'll draw in the predators unintentionally and won't even know what hit us every time they attack. A baby could be injured or killed in the process."

"Hey, why didn't you two get sucked into the trance?" Emmett wondered, drawing attention away from Edward before a fight could break out. "I mean, it got Vicki, right? So it's not just newborns."

"We think it's the animal blood," Char informed him, pointing to her yellow eyes to keep Em from saying anything about them being human drinkers in front of Seth and Leah.

Em's eyes widened as he realized his usually red-eyed friends were sporting golden irises instead.

"If Vicki goes to the Volturi like Alice predicted, won't all of them get sucked into feeding from her too?" Seth asked thoughtfully.

"Some of them will," Peter replied. "There's no way of knowing which ones though. They don't have to keep up human pretenses there, like breathing, so only the ones who smell her will be affected. The others will see what happens and react accordingly. I'm betting they'll contain the outbreak fairly quickly and then they'll be hunting for answers."

"We need to go back to the witch and make her change us back so we can defend ourselves!" Emmett declared.

Rosalie looked at him, impressed. "That's a good idea, honey."

"No! I don't want to change back!" Edward protested, horrified. "That would break my bond with Leah! I've learned my lesson. I'm going to be happy with what I have and make the best of it."

Leah looked like she was tempted to insist Edward go back to the witch after all.

"You're mated to _him_?" Peter choked out, looking at Leah with dismay. "Oh, sugar, I'm so sorry. You deserve so much better!"

Leah smirked at him, not bothering to hide her personal agreement with that statement.

Jasper came down the stairs with his bags just then and murmured too quietly for the humans to hear, "On the other hand, Edward _is_ a multi-billionaire, just like Alice. I'm sure he could grow up into a decent guy with the proper guidance, and as his wife, what's his is yours."

He'd felt her intense longing for the money she'd seen lying on the ground outside. Jasper had been quite wealthy in his own right before he met Alice, and he'd always kept his own accounts separate from the Cullens. Just like them, he'd definitely benefited from Alice's visions on the best investments though, so he was a multi-billionaire now too. Alice had made each and every one of them rich beyond their wildest dreams, so none of them would be hurting for money ever again, even without Alice's visions to help their wealth continue to grow.

Leah raised her eyebrows in acknowledgment of Jasper's words, thankful Edward hadn't been able to hear them. _Okay, I can put up with a lot of crap for several billion dollars._

She turned to Edward with a smile. "I'm so glad you've decided to embrace our bond. We should get married as soon as possible, don't you think?"

Edward beamed at her and nodded eagerly in agreement. He ran upstairs to his room, where he located his mother's ring and hurried back down.

Getting down on one knee, Edward proposed, "Leah, you're the most wonderful girl I've ever known in all my years on earth. Will you please do me the honor of becoming my beautiful beloved bride?"

"Yes!" Leah gushed, holding out her hand so Edward could place the ring on her finger. She realized Carlisle probably heard Jasper's words and didn't want him to try to talk Edward into some kind of prenuptial agreement. "C'mon, I want to introduce my fiance to my mom!"

"Great!" Edward cheered, allowing her to pull him along behind her. "Wait! Carlisle took my Volvo. Well, I still have the Aston Martin."

"Awesome!" Leah cooed, eager to get him away to the reservation before Carlisle could interfere. "Let's go!"

Carlisle watched helplessly from his spot in the grass as they sped away.

**xxxxxxx**

**AN:** Are you guys satisfied?


	26. Moving Along

**Moving Along**

**4:25**

Riley landed in Seattle and hurried into the terminal. He checked the board and found a flight to Houston getting ready to start boarding. He quickly bought a first class ticket and raced over to the gate, getting there just in time for the last call.

Paul and Embry were running to Seattle as fast as they could, but no matter how hard they pushed themselves they couldn't arrive any sooner than 4:40, mere minutes after Riley's plane had cleared the runway. They started tracking his scent first, knowing they were close to his arrival time. They followed his trail all the way to the gate, but the plane was already in the air. Even though they knew the destination, it didn't do them any good. They couldn't compete with a jet traveling over 500 mph. By the time they could get there, Riley would be long gone.

Next they followed Victoria's scent and realized she'd left in a car. Their delicate olfactory senses quickly led them to break into the hangar she'd come out of, finding the pilot she'd left behind, his body cooled, his blood congealed. The tribe sent an anonymous tip to the police to investigate, hoping they'd realize the victim's car had been stolen and put out an APB (_all points bulletin_), which would hopefully lead to Victoria's arrest. The shifters knew Victoria wouldn't be expecting the pilot's body to be found so quickly and hoped she'd be careless about using his credit cards, which the police would be able to track.

**xxxxxxx**

**4:28**

"Go get my car from Seattle and head to the house near Eugene," Jasper ordered Peter and Char, handing over the keys from his pocket. The house there was secluded, backing onto Willamette National Forest, which meant lots of fresh game available. It also helped that Oregon was close enough to provide help to the Cullens or the Quileutes should the need arise, but was far enough away to discourage random visits. "We'll meet you there."

Peter and Char nodded, giving Rose and Em a hug goodbye before leaving.

"Dang, I was really looking forward to hanging out with you," Em pouted to Peter.

"I don't think you could keep up any more, dude," Pete teased. "You're now the equivalent of a 98 pound weakling. You really need to get your skills _revamped_ if you wanna run with the big boys."

"I'm gonna try," Em replied seriously.

"Well, if you can't, I reckon you can still be my little bro, even though you'll be the weakest and slowest one around," Pete offered.

Em rolled his eyes. "Not _the_ weakest."

"Yes, you will be," Char interjected. "We all know Rosie can take you down. No use pretending otherwise."

Em pouted. "What about Edward?"

"Are you kidding? He'll be too busy playing with the puppies to hang out with us," Peter scoffed. "He's never liked us and the feeling's mutual, so I don't foresee him ever willingly choosing to be buddies with us."

Peter turned to Seth. "No offense, kiddo. I know you're a puppy too, but you're way cooler than Edwierdo. Feel free to join our crew if you want. Char's always wanted a dog, and you'd make a pretty cool mascot too."

Char smacked Peter on the back of the head. "Don't be mean," she growled.

"I wasn't!" Pete whined. "My offer was sincere. We could even build him his own doghouse on the property so we wouldn't have to worry about the smell."

Char reached over to smack him again, but he ducked just in time. Seth grinned and shook his head.

"Stop abusing me, woman!" Peter complained. "I feel bad for the poor kid. He not only shares a house with his big sister with his super hearing and sense of smell, but he also shares a mindlink with her and will be privy to all the thoughts she has regarding her new husband and their _marital relations_. That's gotta be bad enough to drive a werewolf to consider living with vampires, just for the peace of mind it would bring."

Seth grimaced at the realization and shook Pete's hand. "I'll keep your offer in mind. I'd probably like to come visit and check on Bella at some point anyway."

Peter nodded. "Okay. We've got a barn. It'd be nice to finally have an animal in it."

Seth smirked as Char whacked her husband once again.

As soon as Peter and Char were on their way back to Seattle, Jasper loaded his belongings into the Range Rover the family usually only used when moving. It could hold a large quantity of items, but didn't have the speed or classy body style of the vehicles the vampires typically preferred. Once he double-checked to be sure he had everything he wanted and needed, including IDs and other critical items from the safe in Carlisle's office, he laid the seats down in the back, making a bed for Bella. He made a pallet with a pile of blankets, then carried her downstairs and placed her gently on it, securing her in place so she wouldn't be knocked around by the movement of the vehicle.

"I truly hope you're successful in reversing the curse," Jasper told Em and Rose as he hugged them goodbye. "Keep in touch, okay?"

They nodded, sorry to see him go. "You better keep in touch too, Jazz," Em replied seriously. "I want to know how my baby sis is doing adjusting to her new life. I know you'll keep her safe and do your best to prevent her from doing anything she'll later regret."

"Of course," Jasper responded easily, patting his brother gently on the back.

"Take care of yourself too," Rose insisted, sniffling a little.

"I will," he promised, hugging Rose one more time.

"Thanks for protecting Bella," he told Seth. "I don't even want to imagine what would have happened to her if you hadn't scared that little bastard away long enough for me to get to her."

"I'd never allow _that_ to happen to somebody if I could prevent it," Seth murmured, smiling sadly. "He was truly a monster and deserved to be destroyed. It's not what he _is_, but what he _does_, the way he treats others, that's the measure of a man."

Rose looked at him thoughtfully, before slowly nodding in agreement. She found herself liking the young shifter and appreciating his perspective, which helped her adjust her own. She realized it was easy to let go of her previous hostility toward the tribe without her natural instincts driving her behavior. Besides, with Alice and Edward marrying into the tribe, it was no longer a matter of 'us vs. them'. The shifters were family now too, albeit in-laws, and she'd always been loyal to her family, even the members she didn't particularly like.

Jasper cautiously approached Carlisle and Esme, holding his anger in check so he wouldn't attack again. "I'm taking Bella to the Whitlock house in Oregon to finish her change. We can't risk anybody she knows seeing her, and if she slipped, it'd not only cause problems with the wolves, but it would absolutely devastate her. If she accidentally attacked someone she knew . . ."

He didn't need to finish his sentence. They all knew Bella would never forgive herself and would have a hard time recovering if she killed somebody she cared about or somebody special to those she cared about.

Esme wrapped him in her loving embrace. "We understand, Jasper. We love you both and want what's best for both of you. Please keep us up to date with Bella's progress, and let us know as soon as it's safe to be around her again."

Jasper agreed, then turned to face Carlisle. "You need to fix this mess, Carlisle, before the Volturi find out about it, because I can guarantee you won't like _their_ way of solving the problem."

Carlisle gave a tense nod, knowing Jasper was right.

After Jasper left, Seth took pity on Carlisle and decided to go hunting for him to get him the blood necessary for him to fully heal.

"Don't worry, Dr. Cullen," he reassured the doctor. "Now that Leah has accepted the bond and stopped fighting it, she'll end up falling head over heels for Edward. His happiness will be her top priority, just as her happiness will be _his_ top priority. That's how the imprint works. It guarantees a successful relationship."

Carlisle relaxed upon hearing that, no longer worried about his first 'born', and knowing the pack would protect Edward with their lives now that Leah's life was irrevocably tied to his.

Gathering strength from the blood of the three deer Seth had brought him, he went inside the house and addressed his wife and his two remaining children. "We need to go confront the witch, like Emmett suggested. Esme and I will go too."

Esme had come inside once Seth brought the first deer, not wanting to watch Carlisle feed. She told Em and Rose about Carlisle being caught under a spell and not being responsible for his actions. The two of them were not as quick to forgive as Esme had been, but thought it best to have his protection on their journey, so decided to give him the benefit of the doubt. Everyone hurried to pack, eager to get on their way.

**xxxxxxx**

**4:45**

Leaving Bella inside the SUV, Jasper hurried into Chief Swan's house and began collecting everything he thought Bella would want from her room. He only grabbed a few changes of clothes, concentrating mainly on books, pictures, jewelry and any other keepsakes he thought might be precious to her. He found the things Edward had left under her floorboards and grabbed them too, just in case.

As soon as he had everything loaded into the Range Rover, he called Charlie, letting him know he would be waiting at Charlie's house to speak to him. He warned Charlie that something had happened, but that he wasn't comfortable discussing it over the phone. Charlie read between the lines and raced home immediately. His shift would've been over at five o'clock anyway, so it was no big deal for him to leave a few minutes early.

"Where's Bella?" Charlie asked as soon as he was out of his cruiser.

Jasper led him over so he could peer in through the tinted windows of the SUV, where he saw Bella lying still and silent in the back.

"Is she . . .?" He couldn't bring himself to voice his fear out loud.

"She's not dead," Jasper murmured quietly. "But she's not human anymore either."

Charlie gulped and paled. "What happened?"

"Victoria attacked today while I was in Seattle picking up my friends from the airport. She couldn't have picked a better time, because my friends are seasoned warriors, just like I am, and together we would have easily decimated her army before she could've done any damage," Jasper informed him, then sighed. "Unfortunately, without us here there were several casualties. The wolves reported two humans were killed on the reservation before they could destroy the three vampires who attacked there. The Cullens were also attacked at the same time, as were Edward and Bella. I'm not sure why he was here with her, but it ended up saving her life, because they went after him first before going after her, buying her a little time."

"One of the newborns ran off with her, intending to . . . torture her before draining her," Jasper continued, deciding not to mention the word 'rape' to Bella's father. The situation was already hard enough for the poor man to handle as it was, without needing to know just how bad it could've been. "Luckily, the wolves arrived and gave chase, scaring him into dropping Bella in his attempt to save his own skin. Sadly, the force with which he tossed her aside broke her neck. By the time I got to her, she was dying. The one who'd taken her had managed to ditch the wolves and had circled back around intending to grab her again. I took him out and chose to change her, rather than let her die. Leah and Seth were the ones who chased away the newborn and were present to see the damage and to hear her heart failing. They can attest that it needed to be done to keep from losing her completely."

Charlie looked at him silently for a few moments, giving himself time to process Jasper's words. "Thank you for saving her," he whispered gratefully, looking back at Bella with tears in his eyes. "So now what?"

"I'm taking her to a house I have in Oregon," Jasper admitted. "She can't stay here. She'll be different when she awakens, different enough that people would notice. She can't be around humans either for at least a year, maybe several. She won't have control over her bloodlust, and the temptation to drink from them would be too great. I know it would devastate her if she accidentally killed someone while overcome by the thirst, so I need to keep her isolated."

"Take me with you," Charlie pleaded.

Jasper sighed and shook his head. "I can't, Charlie. She'd unintentionally kill you and would never forgive herself once she'd realized what she'd done."

"Change me too," Charlie argued. "She won't hurt me if I'm a vampire too."

**xxxxxxx**

**AN:** So what do you think? Should Charlie change too or should Jasper talk him out of it? I haven't decided which way to go on this particular issue.


	27. Escape Artist

**AN:** Wow, the Charlie question opened up a whole can of worms! I can't please everyone, but many of you made good points I have taken into account.

**Escape Artist**

Jasper raised his eyebrows in surprise. He quickly sent Charlie some calm, helping to diffuse the panic the man was feeling. "Charlie, that's not something I can just do on a whim. You're the Chief of Police. If you and Bella both up and disappear on the same day, it will cause problems in the human world. There would be an investigation. Remember, our laws dictate we not expose ourselves to the humans by calling attention to ourselves. I need you to cover for Bella. Say she decided to move back in with her mom to get away from Edward because he kept harassing her, or something like that."

Jasper got a text message and quickly checked it. "Besides, we need your help in an official capacity. Victoria got away. She's humanoid, but she killed the pilot who got her out of Port Angeles before we could get there and stole the man's car. The wolves reported the crime anonymously to the Seattle police, so we need you to monitor the police channels. We need to know if the car is located and where. If you get us the information on her victim, we can hack into the credit card database and figure out where she is, based on when she uses the stolen cards. If she makes it to the Volturi, it could go very badly for all of us, so we need to try and intercept her if at all possible."

Realizing his help was needed just the way he was eased Charlie's concerns about losing his daughter due to her transformation. He was no less necessary or valuable simply because of his human state.

"Of course, I'll get right on it," Charlie agreed. "I'll do whatever I can to protect Bella."

Jasper nodded. "Good. I couldn't change you right now even if I wanted - I'm too thirsty. I'd be just as likely to kill you as change you. I've expended too much energy fighting others of my kind today and pumping my venom into Bella. If you were dying, I might try it anyway, but you're not. You're strong and healthy. If you still want to consider being changed later, or if we can't stop Victoria and need to protect you from the Volturi, we'll cross that bridge when we come to it. We'll have to talk to the wolves too, because it would be a violation of our treaty with them to change you. Bella's my mate, my other half, and was dying, so she was an exception. If you can get their approval, or it's deemed important for your safety, Bella and I will let you know exactly what it means to change and the sacrifices that entails, so you can make an informed decision. I will warn you it can be a very long, lonely existence without a mate, even with good friends, family, and a lover beside you."

Charlie sighed and nodded. "I want to speak to her every day on the phone. Maybe we can do the whole Skype thing too. I'll get the new deputy to show me how to set up my computer for it."

Jasper handed Charlie a wad of bills. "Here, get a new laptop and the best high speed internet connection you can. Nearly all laptops come with a built-in camera, even the cheaper ones. Just make sure you get a decent one. Skype is free to download and fairly intuitive to use. The better your connection and the camera, the more smooth the movements will appear on your screen as you talk to one another."

Charlie eyed the money uncomfortably.

Jasper rolled his eyes and shoved the money in Charlie's hand. "It's for Bella. I've got billions more, so you needn't worry about me."

Charlie blushed and nodded, pocketing the cash. "You'll take good care of her?"

Jasper smiled. "She's my soul mate, Charlie. My everything. She already owns my heart and has entrusted _her_ heart into my safe keeping. I'll gladly give her anything she wants on a silver platter and will always protect her with my life. I'm one of the most gifted vampires and one of the fiercest fighters in existence, probably the only one who could go up against the Volturi and be confidant of coming out on top. Now that she's like me, I'll never leave her side, and nobody will ever be able to hurt her again."

Charlie looked him straight in the eye, a feat few beings in the world, whether human, wolf, or vampire could accomplish. Once he was satisfied with Jasper's sincerity, he smiled, relieved. "Thanks, son. That means the world to me."

Charlie watched Jasper drive away with his precious daughter bundled up safely in the back, then headed back to the station determined to do his part to eliminate the threat to his child.

**xxxxxxx**

**5:15**

At the Bow Hill Rest Area, between Mt. Vernon and Bellingham, Victoria found a Canadian couple on vacation, taking a road trip in their RV, heading toward California. She saw them taking their dog for a walk and asked the woman for a tour of the RV, saying she wanted to purchase one for her parents as an anniversary present. The woman happily obliged, and Vicki snapped her neck while they were inside, hiding the body under the covers on the bed, as if she was sleeping.

Vicki then hurried out and over to the man, quietly telling him his wife had suddenly started throwing up and was requesting his attention. Worried, the man hurried over to the RV, calling for his wife. He raced inside and went over to where he saw her lying in the bed. By the time he realized she was dead, it was too late. Vicki clubbed him over the head with a crowbar several times, aiming for his temples. Once she was sure he was dead, she killed the small, yapping dog too, then pulled the keys out of the man's pocket and shut the bedroom door, locking in the three corpses together.

She found the woman's passport in her purse, along with her ID and credit cards. She got behind the wheel of the RV and headed toward Canada, stopping at the Walmart in Bellingham to get hair dye and a pair of reading glasses. Unfortunately for those pursuing her, she paid with cash. She then used the RV's bathroom to dye her hair, rinsing off in the shower, then fixed her hair in a similar style to the one shown on the passport photo.

She had no trouble crossing the border into Canada and headed straight for Vancouver. At 7:03, she entered the Vancouver Airport and by 7:45pm, she was on her way to Florence, with layovers in Amsterdam and Paris.

**xxxxxxx**

At 6:15, a routine check of the Bow Hill Rest Area revealed the abandoned stolen vehicle sought by Washington State Police. Charlie quickly alerted the wolves, who sent Paul and Embry from where they were waiting in Seattle. The shifters made it to the rest area by 6:40, but quickly realized Victoria had left in another vehicle, obscuring her scent trail. Knowing she was heading north, they decided to run that way and picked up her scent again in the parking lot of the Walmart in Bellingham.

Keeping in touch with the reservation, Jasper suggested Victoria was heading for the Vancouver airport. Paul and Embry did the best they could, but the area over the border was heavily populated, and they could no longer travel in wolf form, particularly once they got close to the city. Unfortunately, two young men lacking shirts and shoes in Canada in March was almost as conspicuous as horse-sized wolves, forcing them to travel at human pace.

Peter and Char had arrived in Seattle to pick up Jasper's car at 5:15 and had encountered the wolves there at the airport. Paul was disgusted with himself at finding himself liking the male vampire and wanting to be friends with him instead of ripping off his head. He'd thought Leah and Seth both delusional when he'd encountered their thoughts regarding Peter, but soon found himself no better. Peter had joked around with them and both Paul and Embry had felt like he was just one of the guys, feeling a sense of camaraderie with him as if he were one of the pack.

Seeing the cessation of hostility from the shifters as soon as he moved in range, Peter was once again thankful for the gift that protected both him and his mate from any who wished them harm. After checking in with Jasper, Peter and Char decided to stay and help track Victoria, hacking into the credit card companies on Peter's laptop, using the airport's wifi connection. Unfortunately, they weren't able to find anything, since Vicki stuck to cash transactions. When word came about the car, they decided to give chase as well. They couldn't run as fast as the wolves, but quickly caught up to Paul and Embry once over the border.

Char had taken a moment to run into Walmart and figure out what Vicki had purchased, so she now knew the former vampire was sporting brown hair. While in the store, she'd purchased outfits for the shifters, guessing they'd likely soon be in a predicament similar to Seth's and Leah's earlier that day.

She tossed the bag of clothes and shoes to the shifters as they passed them, able to move more quickly due to years of experience avoiding being spotted by nearby humans while hunting. The vampires had the added advantage of being able to endure brief bursts of speed in excess of 1000 mph to escape detection, becoming nothing more than a blur. The wolves were fast, but human eyes are able to detect and track things moving even at speeds of 300- 500 mph, especially from a distance.

Unfortunately, it still wasn't fast enough. By the time they got to the airport, Vicki's plane had just departed. A little investigation quickly determined she was indeed on her way to Italy.

Feeling lost, they reported their failure to Jasper, who relayed the information to Charlie. After finding out the vampires had traced Vicki's route through the airport by her scent, Chief Swan told them to check the parking garage and find the vehicle Vicki had used, so they'd know what name Victoria was traveling under.

Peter and Char, accompanied by the wolves, located the RV and smelled the corpses inside. They put in another anonymous call to the local authorities, reporting hearing a scream coming from inside the vehicle. Police investigated and found the bodies inside, as well as the remnants of the hair dye.

It took several hours, but the authorities in Amsterdam were prepared to intercept Victoria as soon as the plane landed.

Relieved, Peter and Char said goodbye to the wolves and headed back to Seattle to pick up Jasper's car and join him in Oregon. Everyone relaxed, believing the problem to be contained.

**xxxxxxx**

**AN:** Ok, time will start moving faster now. Next chapter, the Cullens go to confront the witch . . .


	28. A Beating Heart

**A Beating Heart**

Jasper curled up on the bed around his mate, trying to ease her pain through the transformation, absorbing the waves of agony, the burning hell into himself. Peter and Char vigilantly ran patrols, keeping their brother and his mate safe while they were both incapacitated. Peter tracked Riley's progress, becoming alarmed when he realized the boy had subsequently booked a flight into Mexico City.

There was no way to catch up to the boy, and it was too dangerous to send any of their allies into the area to try and retrieve him. Peter debated calling to warn Maria, but his hatred of her and the other warlords won out, making him decide to leave her to her fate. He figured Riley would get killed by someone watching what happened to others from a distance, someone smart enough to hold their breath.

_If the authorities stop Victoria, then the Volturi will trace this issue back to the Southern warlords, thinking it originated there rather than with the Cullens,_ he hoped. _Maybe it will help stop all the bloodshed down there too._

**xxxxxxx**

The Cullens were surprised to find they couldn't land at the La Vanguardia Airport in Meta, Columbia like they had the last time they'd gone to visit the witch. They were informed there was some kind of state of emergency in the area. Instead, they had to land in Bogata and travel the rest of the way to La Uribe, the hometown of the witch, by car.

As they got closer to her little house set back in the woods, they noticed how deserted the area seemed. Many shops in town were closed, some even had boards over their windows. There were few cars on the roads, and inhabitants of nearby houses watched them suspiciously, peeking out from behind their curtains. Nobody lingered on sidewalks, and there were no children playing in the yards. It was a far cry from the journey they had undertaken less than two months prior.

_What happened here?_ Carlisle wondered, noticing the changes far more than his companions.

They found the witch's house, but it appeared vacant. There was no life inside, no movement, no heartbeat. Carlisle decided to search it anyway, looking for clues as to her whereabouts. To his fear and dismay, he found her corpse, lying on her bed. From the state of decomposition, he could tell she'd been dead for over a week.

On the bedside table was a sealed envelope addressed to him. He took it, glancing around uneasily. Nervously, he opened it, finding a letter and a wooden bead inside. He pulled out the note, leaving the bead alone, deciding he wanted to know what it said before the rest of the family saw it, so he could prepare himself for their reactions. At first glance, he was relieved to note it was in an ancient tongue, one he had studied, but that his family members would not be able to translate.

The contents of the letter were completely unexpected though.

_Carlisle Cullen,_

_I am writing this on my deathbed. I expected to feel triumph when you returned to me, knowing you would once you realized what I had done to your family, what they had become. I sneered at your desires to become parents, thinking you couldn't possibly understand the love and sacrifice necessary, justifying to myself my trickery at your expense._

_The curse erases the effects of the venom, restoring vampires back to the state they were in prior to being changed, then alters their DNA to become something different. The creature they become has blood that carries the power of the curse within it, blood that calls to vampires to drink it._

_I was thrilled when my first victim decided to call the rest of his coven to join him, but I was shocked when you all reunited with him, treating him as a beloved son and brother, unfazed by the blood that was supposed to call to you. At first I thought I had done something wrong in the spell, but as I looked at your group's unusual yellow eyes and listened to your stories, I soon realized the reason. The spell calls for the cursed blood to be irresistible to those whose 'hearts no longer beat and who carry the blood of humans in their bellies'. I thought about changing the spell to include animal drinkers, but your aura was so pure, it confused me. I didn't understand how an evil demon, a vampire, could appear to be a creature of the light._

_So, instead, I cast a spell on you to force you to promote the exposure of the curse to others of your kind, to encourage the spread of it, even after you realized what it was and would mean for your race, your mate, and your coven. I knew you would return to me, angry, afraid, upset. I thought I would laugh in your face._

_I was so full of pride and self-righteousness. Even though I knew this was dark magic, I was certain I was doing what was right for humankind, for my descendants. I developed a cough after changing your firstborn, but thought nothing of it. I had herbs and spells that helped keep illness at bay, kept me from feeling bad enough to stay home in bed. I went about my business, visiting my family, my friends, my clients. I paid my bills, ran errands, socialized with my neighbors._

_My own great-grandchildren were the first to die, followed by my granddaughter the next day. People all around me began dropping like flies. My daughter came and confronted me, distraught, broken, asking what I had done. It was the people who knew me best who fell first, my inner circle, but it quickly spread from there. I was confused, not making the connection, until someone said the words 'flu epidemic'. I made calls then, trying to get someone, anyone, to listen, trying to warn them what they faced without being able to tell them how I knew._

_My hubris cost the lives of hundreds of innocent people, probably thousands by the time it's run its course. I changed your son back to the state he was in when he was changed - heavily contagious and dying of the Spanish flu. The subsequent changes to his DNA from the curse healed the illness, while my status as a witch kept me healthy enough to spread those germs to my entire community day after day, the ultimate carrier._

_My daughter passed away next, then my son and my son's children. Before long, I had no descendants left to protect. I had done more damage in a matter of weeks than vampires had done to my area over decades. In fact, I brought vampires to my hometown in droves. They came for the easy pickings the epidemic brought them. I saw them passing through, putting people out of their misery when they got close to the end. With so many dying, there wasn't time for the authorities to worry about those who went missing or who showed up at the morgue already drained of blood._

_It then occurred to me - what if the curse hits someone who was changed during the time of the Bubonic Plague. I could inadvertently be responsible for the re-release of the Black Death onto the human populace. Or any other deadly virus for that matter. For the first time, I truly understood how my plan to save humanity could do more harm than good to the very species I was trying to protect._

_Instead of triumph, I am filled with dismay. I cannot fix what I have done. I hope you find a way to stop it before any more lives are lost, human or otherwise. My herbs and spells could only do so much, especially once I lost my will to live. I have nobody left to bring meaning to my life._

_They say the road to hell is paved with good intentions. I finally understand what that means. I danced with the devil, used dark magic to cause harm to your family, while convincing myself I was doing the right thing. You dedicated your existence to saving humans, using your supernatural skills and talents to do what others couldn't. I thought I was doing the same, but as I lie here ready to face judgment in the afterlife, I'm forced to realize the difference between us and the choices we made. My soul is now stained an inky black with the deaths of innocents, while yours glows brighter than the sun._

_While I can't reverse the curse on your family - the magic is too powerful - I can reverse the spell I placed on you, allowing you to deal with the situation as you see fit, instead of you being forced to promote my original goals. Once your skin touches the bead I've enclosed for you, the spell will lift from your mind, restoring your faculties to your own control. I have decided I must trust your judgment at this point over my own in how to deal with the mess I've unintentionally created for the human world, even if it means allowing your species to continue to exist._

_Paola Milena_

Debating with himself over the wisdom of his action, Carlisle took out the bead. He didn't feel any different after touching it and hoped it did what the witch had promised in her note. At this point, he knew it was distinctly possible she had lied and had cast another spell on him to get him to do her bidding instead of setting him free.

He took the letter and left the house with a heavy heart, coming out to the car where his family was waiting. The suspicion, the deserted streets, the closed stores all made sense now. People were dropping like flies, just as they'd done nearly a hundred years before, the first time he'd lived through the Spanish Flu epidemic. Medicine had come a long way since then though, and once they'd identified the strain causing the epidemic, everyone else in the area and surrounding areas would have been vaccinated against it to keep it from spreading.

As he approached the car, he heard a rustle in the woods behind the house and heard a familiar voice call his name. "Stop! Hold your breath! Don't come any closer! I'll come to you in a moment," he quickly replied, worried about spreading the curse to his friends.

He hurried over to the car and called through the window glass, "Don't open the door! Our Amazonian friends are in the woods, and I don't want them to catch your scent. I'm going to go apprise them of the situation and will return shortly."

His family nodded their understanding, glad he was protecting their friends, and settled in to wait as patiently as they could.

Carlisle ran into the woods, following the Amazonian women's scents. He quickly shared with them what the witch had done to his family and what the curse meant for the rest of the world.

"Give the letter to Kachiri," Zafrina ordered, recognizing the language on the page Carlisle was holding. "Her father was the shaman of our tribe. Perhaps she can help."

Kachiri perused the contents, then her eyes unfocused as if she were in a trance, as she began chanting under her breath. After several minutes, she recovered and solemnly met Carlisle's eyes. "There_ is_ a cure for the curse, but it will not be easy to find."

"What is it? I'll help!" Carlisle eagerly replied, hope filling him.

"It is the venom of the vampire whose heart still beats inside his chest."

Carlisle's face fell, his shoulders drooped. _Where on earth can we find a vampire with a beating heart?_ he wondered.

**xxxxxxx**

**AN:** So, the witch was hoisted by her own petard. How's that for irony? What did you think of that little twist?


	29. Spreading

**AN:** Some of you guessed what I meant, while others brought up an alternative answer I hadn't even considered. Thanks for keeping me on my toes, guys!

**Spreading**

Charlie informed everyone that the Amsterdam police reported taking custody of Victoria at the airport. It would take a few days to work out extradition details, but everyone was feeling more confident that the situation was under control.

Peter broke through Jasper's pain-filled haze to inform him of the news, as well as what he'd learned from Carlisle regarding the witch and Riley's location.

"As soon as our family is safe, we'll put in a call to the Volturi citing suspicious activity in Mexico," Jasper whispered through clenched teeth, before succumbing to the pain once again.

**xxxxxxx**

"A vampire whose heart still beats?" Emmett asked. "You mean like a changing vampire?"

Carlisle's eyes widened. "I hadn't thought of that! I'll ask Kachiri!"

Carlisle was getting his family settled so he could go with the Amazonian coven in search of the elusive cure. As soon as he was sure they had everything they needed, he raced back to his friends.

"Is it the venom of a changing vampire?" he inquired excitedly. He knew Bella was mid-change. If that was the solution, he'd bring everyone back to her.

Kachiri shook her head. "No, their venom is no different from a mature vampire and would have the same result."

Carlisle's face fell. "Where can we find a vampire whose heart still beats?"

"There is only one who is venomous," Kachiri replied. "A male vampire born of a human woman, with blood in his veins and venom in his mouth."

"How is that even possible?" Carlisle wondered, confused. "Was the woman exposed to venom while pregnant?"

Zafrina shook her head. "There is a male vampire, an incubus, who chooses to impregnate human women, collecting the children born of the union. He leaves the mothers to die instead of changing them, then leaves the oldest of his children to raise her siblings while he goes about his business unencumbered. Only one of the children is venomous, the only male."

"You mean it really is possible for a vampire to impregnate a human female?" Carlisle blanched, realizing Bella had been right. He _could_ have had a child with his beloved Esme, if he'd stayed and courted her instead of running away when he first found her.

The three women nodded solemnly. "Though we don't know of anyone other than Joham who has done so," Senna admitted.

"This needs to be kept strictly confidential, Carlisle," Zafrina insisted. "We don't need vampires all over the world kidnapping and impregnating human females and then letting them die just so they can have children to raise. The pregnancy is very hard on the poor human, and the baby chews its way out of her stomach, ripping open her abdomen to get out. The pregnancy only lasts one month, with the baby growing rapidly, its movements causing bruises and broken bones toward the end, when the woman must consume blood to feed the baby or be drained from the inside. If the woman doesn't get a source of blood in time, she and the baby both die before the baby is old enough to survive on its own."

Kachiri nodded. "For each one Joham has successfully impregnated, there have been dozens of females who were killed, either in the process of having sex, from undernourishment during pregnancy, or to protect the secret after they failed to become with child in a timely fashion. Joham seduces his conquests, but many other vampires would resort to rape instead to get what they want."

Carlisle winced, imagining what would happen if the Volturi or Romanians found out this was possible. It would be the immortal child fiasco all over again. _Speaking of which . . ._ "What are these hybrid children like? Are they not immortal children?"

The Amazonians told Carlisle everything they knew about the hybrids as they ran toward the last known location of the only male. They then explained how Nahuel had hated himself for over a century, blaming himself for the death of his mother due to his violent birth, until Kachiri had informed him that Joham could've easily saved his mother by changing her into a vampire at the time of birth, if he'd bothered to stick around and take care of her. Instead, Joham had deliberately abandoned the poor pregnant girl to suffer alone, viewing her simply as a means to an end, and not wanting to have to deal with the consequences of the lies he'd told her by having her around for eternity.

Nahuel and his aunt Huilen had then realized the fault lie entirely with Joham, that he was the true monster, the only villain of the story. The two of them were able to stop resenting Nahuel, recognizing the child was innocent and shouldn't be blamed for the father's sins. Now the two were much closer than they had been before, especially now that Huilen stopped secretly blaming Nahuel for her sister's demise. She no longer wished he'd never been conceived, recognizing from Kachiri's words that she would've lost her sister to death either way, due to Joham's need to keep the secret, but this way, her sister lived on through the child she'd loved so dearly.

Carlisle was fascinated and couldn't wait to meet Nahuel, his scientific curiosity going haywire at the thought of being presented with an entirely new supernatural species.

**xxxxxxx**

Riley hurried out of the airport as soon as he could after his plane landed in Mexico City, not having any luggage to delay him inside. He saw a row of taxis waiting to deliver travelers to their destinations and recognized one of the drivers as a vampire. He eagerly dove into the back of that cab, ignoring the other drivers trying to coax him their way.

The driver quickly pulled out into traffic before his prey could change its mind and asked the boy where he wanted to go.

"Take me to your master," Riley calmly informed him. "I have urgent news."

The driver pulled over to the side of the road and turned to look at his fare with a raised eyebrow. "Are you _loco, senor_?" he asked.

Riley rolled his eyes. "No, I know you're a vampire."

Acting quickly, the driver reached around the seat, yanked Riley forward, and promptly began draining him. Shortly thereafter, Riley awoke from unconsciousness with no memory of getting into the cab. The last thing he could remember was heading out of the airport. He saw the driver sprawled across the two front seats, whimpering and convulsing. Figuring the guy was having a seizure, Riley got out and walked back to the airport.

He got into another cab, with a human driver this time, and asked to be taken to the cheapest hotel in the area. He knew it would be the perfect feeding grounds for vampires and hoped to find one. He didn't bother checking into a room once he arrived, choosing to walk around the neighborhood instead. After about an hour, he got frustrated and slipped into the shadows of an alleyway between two buildings.

"Hey, are there any vampires around here? I need to deliver a message to Maria. She's one of the warlords around here who makes newborn armies," Riley calmly stated, trying to make his voice carry. It wasn't loud enough to be overheard by any humans in the vicinity, but was designed to grab the attention of any supernatural beings within a mile radius.

Sure enough, two vampires appeared in front of Riley within seconds.

"How do you know about our kind?" the first asked menacingly. The second made the mistake of trying to sniff Riley to see if he'd had contact with other vampires. One hint of Riley's scent was all it took for him to pounce and begin drinking the cursed elixir.

"Hey, what the hell are you doing?!" the first guy growled. "We need to interrogate him before you drain him, idiot!"

He tugged on his companion, but was ignored, so he ripped off the offender's right arm. The feeding vampire didn't even seem to notice, which really threw his comrade. "What the hell?"

He tried once again to get his fellow soldier to stop drinking, ripping off the guy's other arm. The one who'd been drinking suddenly fell backwards and started screaming and flailing around.

"Shut up!" the first guy hissed angrily. "You're going to expose us!" He stepped on his coven mate's neck, damaging the voice box and preventing him from screaming.

Turning back to the unconscious human lying crumpled on the dirty ground, he unthinkingly inhaled, then promptly pounced.

When Riley awoke a minute or two later, he found himself in an alley he didn't remember entering. He noticed one man whining and twitching nearby and another silent one with blood and other fluids leaking out of the holes where his arms should've been.

_Fucking addicts!_ Riley thought to himself. _Must've ambushed me, then fought amongst themselves over my stuff._

He dusted himself off and decided to try out his plan of luring in a vampire to take him to Maria a few blocks away from the carnage here. He didn't want any potential allies distracted by the spilled blood.

The taxi driver awoke to a police officer knocking on his window. He cautiously rolled it down, then shuddered in horror as he realized he was somehow human again. He had no memory of Riley and had no idea how it had happened.

"Are you okay?" The officer asked suspiciously. "It looked like you were having a seizure."

"I fell asleep, bad dream," the former vampire lied. "Had a rough night last night. I think I'll clock out now and head home, get some rest. Might be coming down with something."

"Good idea," the officer agreed. "I don't think you should be driving in your condition."

"Thanks for your concern," the driver politely replied, gritting his teeth with the knowledge of his current vulnerability.

As soon as the officer moved away, the taxi driver took off back to his home base, wanting to be turned back into a vampire.

In the alleyway, only one of the former vampires regained consciousness. The other had bled out while he transformed. The curse could've repaired the damage to his neck, but it couldn't regrow his arms for him, especially with no blood left in his system. The one who awoke had no memory of what led him and his compatriot to be in the alley in the first place. He vaguely recognized his buddy, though his memories of his time as a vampire were now somewhat fuzzy.

Conscious of the need to keep the secret, he quickly disposed of the body, then returned to the compound, feeling vulnerable and frightened in his human form. He wanted both protection and to be able to warn his coven mates of the unknown danger. _Someone must have found a newborn with the gift of making vampires human again_, he thought worriedly.

A few hours later, frustrated with his lack of success, Riley decided to obtain a car and travel up to Monterrey, thinking he might have better luck there. He left a trail of changing vampires everywhere he stopped for food or gas along the way.

Within 24 hours of his arrival in the country of Mexico, there were more humanoids than vampires roaming the countryside. Once whole covens had been changed, most of the newborns decided to return home to their families and rejoin their human lives. The older vampires and the newborns who hungered for the power and strength of being something supernatural chose to travel, specifically searching for other vampires, rapidly spreading throughout Central America and soon spilling over into North and South America.

**xxxxxxx**

**AN:** Thoughts?


	30. Death Always to Tyrants

**AN:** Nice long one for you. Lots going on this chapter.

**Death Always to Tyrants**

The Amsterdam police boarded Victoria's plane as soon as it arrived at the gate. They pulled her out of her seat and arrested her on the spot.

They escorted her through the back hallways of the airport to a small interrogation room. Along the way, they passed two vampires who were trawling the airport looking for tourists who wouldn't be missed to be their dinner. The first caught the siren scent and moved to attack, but was held back by his companion. "Sven, what the hell is wrong with you?" Lucas hissed, having never seen his 853 year old companion risk exposure this way.

Sven continued struggling, unable to respond, oblivious to Lucas's attempts to call him back to reason. _It must be his singer!_ Lucas realized, having witnessed that phenomenon before. Deciding to help his friend, he pulled Sven into an empty bathroom, pulling off his arms and legs so he couldn't follow and expose them. Striking quickly while no one else was around, he snapped the necks of the prisoner and the two officers, pulling all three of them inside the bathroom where his friend was waiting and dropping them in a heap on the floor.

He locked the door so no one could disturb them, then helped Sven fuse his limbs back in place. He leaned back and watched as Sven attacked the woman the moment he could move.

Smiling to himself, Lucas moved the officers over next to the drain in the floor. He slit the neck of the first one, letting some of the blood spill out over the floor and run down the drain to set the scene. Just as he was about to start feeding, he heard a heavy thunk behind him. Whipping around, he saw Sven whimpering and twitching on the floor, while the woman he had been feeding from lay still a few feet away, her heart still beating. Inhaling in shock, he ignored the spilled blood right beside him and went for the prone female.

When Victoria regained consciousness, she saw the dead officers who'd arrested her on the plane and smiled triumphantly. She didn't know who the writhing men were who'd attacked the policemen for her, but she was thankful nonetheless. As a result, she chose to let them live. She wriggled her way over to the police corpses, finding the keys to the handcuffs and unlocking herself. Thinking quickly, she removed the uniform off of the smaller man and dressed in it herself. She hid her hair up under the police cap. Grabbing his gun, wallet, and car keys, she slipped out of the room. She moved the 'Out of Order' sign she found hanging on the back of the door onto the front of the door and pulled the door shut with the handle locked.

Satisfied that would keep the contents of the room from being discovered before she made a getaway, she hurried out of the building from the nearest exit, pleased to find the police car waiting nearby. Nobody paid any attention to her as she sped away, lights flashing, seeing the uniform she wore and assuming everything was as it should be.

As soon as she got well out of the city, she got off the highway, looking for a stretch of road with little traffic. She soon found what she was looking for and turned on her siren behind a lone car. The driver pulled over, rolling down his window as she approached.

"What's the problem, officer?" he asked in Dutch. Unfortunately, Victoria couldn't speak Dutch, so she simply shot him right between the eyes. Not wanting to waste precious time, she shoved him over into the passenger seat and took off, unfazed by the bleeding corpse in the seat beside her.

It hardly took any time at all for her to reach the airport in Rotterdam. From there, she patrolled the long-term parking area until she found a woman getting ready to head out on a trip. She hit her over the head with the tire iron she'd pulled from the guy's trunk when she'd moved his body into it. Next, she shoved the woman into her own trunk, grabbing only the carry-on bag and the lady's purse. She left the gun in the trunk with the dead body, knowing she couldn't take it with her on the plane, but kept the tire iron in her carry-on bag. She used the back seat of the car to change into suitable female attire obtained from the woman's suitcase.

Afraid there might be authorities waiting at the airport in Florence, she decided to fly into Zurich instead and then drive the rest of the way.

Meanwhile, Lucas and Sven awoke at roughly the same time. Sven's change had taken slightly longer due to needing to repair the damage of having newly fused limbs. Neither had any memory of encountering Victoria. They stared in horror at the scene in front of them, knowing they'd never risk exposure by killing police officers. The policemen were dead, but it didn't appear to human eyes to have been at the hands of vampires.

They were deeply distressed to find themselves human again, feeling weak and vulnerable. "It must have been a very powerful vampire who did this to us," Lucas theorized. "and set us up to take the fall for murdering these men."

Sven nodded his head. "We need to go warn Stephen and Vladimir. If the Volturi get this vampire on their side, there'll be no stopping them ever again."

Lucas agreed, and the two former vampires hurried away, chartering a flight to Romania.

Once in Zurich, Victoria lurked in the parking deck until she found a lone individual approaching his car. As he leaned over to put his bag in the trunk, she struck, causing him to fall forward. It made the job of loading him inside much easier. Taking his wallet, she shut him up inside, putting his suitcase and her bag into the back seat.

She was exhausted by the time she reached Milan and decided to stay there for the night, unaccustomed to requiring multiple meals and sleep daily to function properly.

She finally made it Volterra and approached the receptionist behind the desk in the castle's lobby. "I'm here to see Aro," Vicki informed the woman as she opened her mouth to begin her greeting. "I have urgent business with him."

Gianna's eyebrows shot up in surprise. _Why is a human asking for one of the Masters by name?_ she wondered. "Are you here for a tour?"

Vicki scowled and hissed, "No, I'm not here to be _dinner_! I have information for Master Aro, you incompetent human!"

Gianna's eyes widened, but she calmly replied, "Have a seat please, and I'll let him know you're here."

Gianna called upstairs to the throne room, informing Felix that a human had specifically asked for Aro by name and had implied she knew he wasn't human.

Raising an eyebrow, Aro commanded, "Afton, bring her to me."

Afton nodded and hurried downstairs. He grumpily walked into the lobby, holding his breath so he wouldn't inadvertently eat the secretary. He grabbed the female from the waiting area by the arm, yanking her up into a standing position.

Angry at the rough treatment, Victoria grabbed his balls and twisted. It didn't hurt him, but it did surprise him enough for him to inhale.

Gianna saw him start drinking from the woman and figured Aro had told him to come down and dispose of her. Not wanting to watch the lady's demise first hand, she turned away and began typing on her computer. Suddenly she heard a loud thunk and some whimpering. She carefully sneaked a peek, not sure if she wanted to know what was happening or not. She saw Afton writhing around making small pain-filled noises while the woman laid in a crumpled heap.

_Jane must be punishing him for draining the woman_, Gianna assumed. _Aro must not have ordered him to drink from her after all, at least not in front of me._ Well trained to ignore such happenings, Gianna continued typing on her computer, pretending nothing was wrong. She nearly jumped out of her skin though when the woman appeared in front of her again.

"I'm here to see Aro," Victoria informed her, unaware she was repeating herself. She had no memory of anything beyond entering the lobby. "I have urgent business with him."

"H-have a seat," Gianna stuttered nervously, seeing Afton still convulsing.

"Masters, there's something wrong with Afton and the human is still waiting for you," Gianna whispered into the phone.

Aro furrowed his brow. "Santiago, go see what is going on down there."

Santiago hurried to do Master Aro's bidding. He found Afton and was sure he was being attacked by Jane. He inhaled deeply to catch Jane's scent, but instead became ensnared by the spell.

Gianna watched as Santiago attacked and heard the snap of Victoria's neck as he forced her head back so he could feed. _She's dead now_, Gianna thought eagerly, unnerved by the strange woman. She turned away and began organizing the files in her cabinet, humming to herself to drown out the noises from the waiting area. She didn't hear Santiago fall, because he landed on the loveseat when he detached from Vicki's neck, and the carpet was think enough to cushion the fall of a mere human.

"I'm here to see Aro," Vicki declared stridently, slamming her hand down on Gianna's desk to get the receptionist's attention. Once again, she had no memory of saying those words before. "I have urgent business with him."

Gianna shrieked this time, "What the hell _are_ you?"

Victoria scowled. "None of your damn business, human!"

Gianna scurried over to the desk and pulled out a gun. It was designed to temporarily slow a hunting vampire and was filled with large, explosive hollow point rounds. Seeing what Gianna was reaching for, Vicki grabbed the knife out of her bag and threw it expertly, hitting Gianna right in the heart, slicing halfway through the aorta. Shocked, Gianna still managed to squeeze out a single round, aiming right between Vicki's eyes. The bullet exploded inside her skull, blowing her brains and the entire back half of her head off, splattering all over the room - an injury far too grievous for rapid healing to cure.

Unfortunately, Gianna made the mistake of pulling out the knife as she fell backwards, causing her to bleed out in mere seconds. By the time Felix and Demetri made it to the lobby to check on the source of the gunshot, Victoria and Gianna were both dead, too dead for Aro to read their memories and too dead for Vicki's blood to call to the arriving Guard members.

Aro could find nothing in Afton's or Santiago's memories to explain their distress, so they were carried off to their rooms. He dismissed all the Guards from the throne room, saying he wanted privacy. The Guards scattered around the castle, though most of them were assigned to cleaning up the giant mess in the lobby. Aro and Caius discussed what could possibly be wrong, theorizing there was a spy somewhere nearby who'd been able to attack the vampires using the human woman as a conduit. Marcus sat there lost in thought, not bothering to contribute to the discussion.

Chelsea sat worriedly beside her mate, trying to comfort him. As soon as Afton awoke, Chelsea unwittingly attacked him. A minute later when he regained consciousness, he had no memory of Victoria. The only thought on his mind was concern for his mate, who was currently yelping and convulsing on the bed beside him.

He raced into the throne room, with her in his arms, yelling, "Masters! There's something wrong with Chelsea!"

Aro and Caius inhaled in shock, while Marcus didn't react. Aro and Caius both pounced on Afton, knocking Chelsea off to the side. Marcus tilted his head and watched as Aro and Caius tried to drain Afton, only feeling mildly curious. It wasn't until Aro and Caius fell away from Afton and began screaming and writhing around that Marcus began feeling flickers of life inside, his mental wheels picking up speed as he processed this new development.

He heard Afton's heart still beating and watched as the man regained consciousness. Afton saw Chelsea and scurried over to her, cradling her in his arms again. When Santiago ran into the throne room, his heart beating too, Marcus began putting the pieces together.

"What the hell is going on in here?" Santiago yelled.

"I don't know!" Afton admitted helplessly, looking to Marcus for guidance.

By this point, Chelsea was far enough along in her transformation that her gift no longer functioned. Marcus was free for the first time in over 2000 years.

He got up, moving at high speed, and decapitated all five of them, then calmly returned to his throne, watching the blood and venom pool on the floor and wash down the drain in the center of the room.

**xxxxxxxx**

Peter answered his incessantly ringing phone to find a frantic Garrett on the other end of the line.

"Pete, there's some really crazy shit going on, I think," Garrett declared. "I saw a human who looked just like our old buddy Raoul, only without all the scars from the Southern Wars. He was even wearing the same crest around his neck that Raoul always wore. I started following him from a distance out of curiosity. He stepped into an alleyway and boldly declared he was looking for fellow vampires because he used to be one. I was about to come out of hiding and confront him, when I saw another vampire jump on him and start drinking. About thirty seconds later, they both fell to the ground. Raoul was silent, his heart still beating, while the vampire writhed on the ground screaming and hollering. I wasn't sure what to do, whether or not this guy was alone, or what was happening. I thought it might be a trap. Then Raoul stood up and walked away as if nothing had happened!"

"You need to get away from there quickly! Hold your breath until you know you're alone, no humans within smelling distance!" Peter warned. "Where are you?"

"Dallas," Garrett informed him, while racing away from the city.

_Shit, it's spread really quickly!_ Peter thought, panicking.

"I'm with the Major in Oregon," Peter replied, trying to stay calm. "There's a plague sweeping through. Raoul and now that other vampire are both infected. It started in Mexico City yesterday, so it's traveling quickly. I know it sucks, but you need to drink from animals and pass the word on to any other vampires you see or know. Former vampires are being changed into something else, a weapon against our kind. They look and sound like regular humans, but one whiff of their scent, and you're helpless to resist. You drink their blood and within twenty minutes you wake up just like them, weak and humanlike. It doesn't affect animal drinkers though, so that's our only hope at the moment to fight against it. Carlisle Cullen is working on a cure, but he hasn't found one yet."

"Shit! Are you sure that animal crap will work? This better not be one of your pranks, Whitlock!" Garrett cursed.

"Yeah, I'm sure. Char and I are drinking it too," Peter admitted. "Carlisle located the witch who started it all, and she's dead now, but he was able to learn that the scent of the cursed blood only affects those whose bellies contain human blood - something about the wording of the spell. So until he finds a way to reverse it, animal blood is the only protection we've got."

"Crap! Guess I'll go suck down a deer then," Garrett mumbled, disgruntled.

"The predators taste better, if you can find one, but beggars can't afford to be choosers at the moment," Peter offered.

"Thanks," Garrett grumbled. "Do they die as easily as humans?"

"No, they have rapid healing," Peter warned. "They're kind of like zombies. I know decapitation works."

"Okay, I'm on my way," Garrett replied. He decided to go back and take out the two plague carriers he'd seen to help prevent them from spreading it further, careful to hold his breath the entire time.

Peter and Char quickly began making calls to all the covens they knew. Once they'd exhausted their phone logs, Peter called Carlisle to update him on the situation.

"We're still looking for the cure," Carlisle informed him, worried. "It's rare, so I doubt we'll be able to make enough to change everyone back, especially with it spreading so quickly." He was careful not to reveal the source of the cure, following his friends' warning to keep Nahuel's existence a secret.

"We've gotten the word out to everyone we know, everyone that's left that is," Peter responded. He gave Carlisle the list of names he and Char had already reached. "You better call any other contacts you have."

Carlisle hung up and looked at the Amazonians grimly. He quickly called the other covens he knew that Peter didn't.

"I can finally see the use of these little phones of yours, Carlisle," Zafrina admitted. "I suppose I shall have to pick up one after all. It would be nice to get a warning of impending danger long before it arrived."

"What of the witch's concerns regarding the release of other deadly viruses?" Kachiri asked. "Now that so many vampires are being transformed?"

Carlisle frowned and shook his head. "It's unlikely. The change from drinking the blood happens in 20 minutes instead of the six days for the original spell. That means any period of contagion, when the person is fully human and before the rapid healing kicks in to cure any illness, would be less than two minutes long. A human would have to be close enough to breath the same air or to touch the changing individual during those few critical minutes. Otherwise, the virus will die before it can infect anyone else. It's possible there might be some illnesses passed along, especially if the vampire was severely infected at the time of the initial change and is changed again in front of witnesses. For example, someone might call for the paramedics if they see someone who appears to be having a seizure. The paramedics would be in close contact with the infected individual."

The Amazonian women decided to take a quick hunt for animals, just to be on the safe side, before they continued on with their search for Nahuel.

While they were gone, Carlisle wrestled briefly with his conscience and decided to call the Volturi and warn them. The phone rang and rang for several minutes. Carlisle was just about to hang up when someone picked up and cautiously answered, "Pronto?"

"Marcus?" Carlisle asked in shock.

"Carlisle Cullen?" Marcus queried.

"Yes, I was calling to warn you about a curse that is turning vampires into humanoid creatures. The former vampires appear to be human, but the scent of their blood is irresistible to human drinkers. A single whiff puts the vampire in a trance wherein their only thoughts are of drinking. They don't care about exposure, or even their own self-preservation. Then, once a vampire drinks from one of these creatures, they are transformed into one of them, a humanoid with contagious blood, in a mere 20 minutes," Carlisle explained.

"I see. This would've been very good information to have an hour ago, my old friend," Marcus replied. "What else do you know?"

"Animal drinkers are not affected by the scent, so if you all drink it for the time being, you should be safe enough. I am working with the Amazonian coven to find a cure, but we haven't been successful yet," Carlisle admitted. "It has already spread throughout Central America and parts of North and South America. The witch who started it lived in Columbia, but she's dead. Kachiri of the Amazon coven recognized the ancient dark magic and believes we will be able to locate a cure, but the source of the key ingredient is extremely rare."

"Thank you for letting me know," Marcus responded thoughtfully. "Please keep me informed. It has already spread to Europe as well, so we seem to have quite an epidemic on our hands. I shall get the word out about the animal blood. I hereby issue an official decree that until a cure is located, any humanoids shall be immediately and summarily executed."

Carlisle gulped, hoping nobody found his family members before he could locate the cure.

**xxxxxxx**

**AN:** Alright, I know many of you are itching for Bella to hurry up and finish changing. Tell you what - you review, and I'll make sure Sleeping Beauty awakens in the next chapter no matter how long that means the chapter has to be to bring it about. Fair enough?


	31. Unhappy Realizations

**Unhappy Realizations**

Amun received the warning phone call from Carlisle, but treated it with disdain. He thought the 'vegetarian' had finally lost his marbles. "As if I would ever consider feeding from foul beasts," he muttered to himself, dismissing the idea out of hand.

Benjamin had overheard the conversation and thought it rather odd. He'd never met Carlisle Cullen and was surprised to learn it was even possible to feed from animals instead of humans. His sire had certainly never mentioned it as an alternative. As he pondered the significance of this development, he was shocked to hear the phone ring again. Amun hated technology, and the phone was only in place for extreme emergencies.

This time it was a member of the Volturi calling. The story given was the same regarding the plague of humanlike creatures whose blood sang irresistibly to any vampire 'with human blood in their bellies'. The Guard member admitted they had learned from Carlisle Cullen that animal blood seemed to provide some kind of resistance to the siren song of the humanoids, but warned they had no first hand knowledge of the truth of that claim. They did confess to encountering several of the creatures themselves, but an unnamed member of the Volturi had vanquished them by holding his breath. A royal decree had been given to destroy the creatures and any infected vampires on sight to prevent the spread of the plague, with decapitation being given as a suggested method.

Amun decided he would much rather hold his breath than feed from animals. He didn't even bother mentioning the issue to the rest of his coven. If Benjamin hadn't been close enough to overhear the conversation, he wouldn't have been aware of it.

Unlike Amun, Benjamin decided he and his mate would take the safer route. He figured they wouldn't be able to hold their breath forever and worried they wouldn't be able to distinguish between these humanoids and regular humans. He and Tia went out hunting in the nearest wilderness. It wasn't a pleasant hunt, compared to feeding from humans, and he could easily see why the idea wasn't a popular one. The two of them weren't sure it was worth it, at least until they came home and found Amun and Kebi with looks of misery and human heartbeats, accompanied by four other humanoids.

"You must help us! Change us back!" Amun pleaded. Kebi and the other four males nodded, adding, "Please!"

Benjamin had heard enough from the phone call to realize biting them would result in him and Tia being transformed as well. Instead, with a heavy heart, he quickly decapitated the three of them. He'd explained everything to his mate prior to hunting, so she knew why he'd done it. She wordlessly comforted him over the loss of his sire, secretly glad to be rid of the old fart and his creepy companions, though she felt sorry for Kebi. She recognized two of the men as Dracula One and Dracula Two, as she had dubbed them in her head the first time she'd met the ancient duo, Stephen and Vladimir.

"Well, it doesn't taste great, but the animal diet sure beats the alternative for the time being," Tia declared. Benjamin nodded in agreement as they watched the funeral pyre of the six former human drinkers together.

**xxxxxxx**

Maria gathered a contingent of fellow warlords together to make a trip to Forks. The day before they had all been mortal enemies. Now they banded together for protection against a force they didn't understand. All of them were now weak and vulnerable, human like the cattle they had fought over for centuries. They didn't know what had happened to cause them to be reduced to such a pathetic condition, but they were certain the Volturi were somehow involved. Most figured it was a punishment for continuing the wars after the last time the Volturi had swept through and decimated their armies for exposing themselves to their feeding stock.

Maria had rallied them with the hope that Diablo could save them. They believed he was the only vampire strong enough to stand against such a powerful gift as the one that had rendered them helpless. They hoped he would restore their vampire status and fight with them against the enemy.

Unfortunately for them, Alice saw them coming. She recognized them from previous visions, especially the woman leading them. The wolves were not happy to learn what kind of people were on their way to Forks.

Maria and the other warlords knocked on the door at the Cullen's house, but received no answer. Instead, an entire pack of horse sized wolves appeared in a semicircle from out of the woods trapping them in front of the house. The humanoid group tried valiantly to fight back, but there was nothing they could do against their supernatural opponents.

The wolves had no qualms whatsoever in ripping the former vampires to pieces, knowing they were collectively responsible for the deaths of tens of thousands of humans over the past two centuries. They had learned from Victoria's actions that being in humanlike bodies wouldn't stop sadistic murdering bastards from killing humans to get what they wanted.

The tribe finally understood the adage: evil is as evil does. In fact, as proof, they could smell blood and decay coming from the two vehicles' trunks. Sam called Charlie about what they suspected, and he suggested they move the cars off the Cullens' property to a random spot on the side of the highway, so he could 'discover' them without causing problems for the family or the tribe. He felt the families of the victims contained in the trunks deserved the closure of knowing what happened to them, even if they would never know that the murderers received justice.

_It definitely helps to have a Police Chief in the know for these supernatural situations_, Seth thought with relief.

**xxxxxxx**

Bella woke up a short 48 hours after the start of her transformation. Jasper had pumped her so full of venom in fear of her not surviving that he'd used twice as much as usual. The extra venom helped speed along the change. Bella's broken neck meant she hadn't felt the pain of her body burning until after the first day when the damage to her spinal cord was repaired. Usually the pain caused people's muscles to lock up tight, clamping down on blood vessels and restricting blood flow. The lack of tension in her muscles allowed the venom to rush through her body unhindered, resulting in a much faster transformation than usual.

Finally, by the time she did feel the pain all over, Jasper was wrapped around her absorbing as much of her pain as he could. Since she knew what was happening to her, she embraced the change instead of fighting against the fiery agony. This was the final aspect that allowed the process to progress at a much faster rate than usual.

She didn't open her eyes right away when her heart stopped. She knew she'd be overwhelmed and disoriented from her conversations with Jasper on the subject. Thus, she paused, holding her breath, and took a few moments to catalog the sounds she was hearing and the things she was feeling. She didn't move, and Jasper remained still as a statue as well. His body was wrapped around hers just as it had been for many hours, and he didn't want to startle her by trying to extricate himself.

Peter and Char had both frozen in place downstairs, waiting to see what would happen now that Jasper's newborn mate was awake. They knew as well as he did the importance of not startling or frightening her, knowing she would attack or flee once her survival instincts were activated.

Bella remained quiet and still for several minutes, allowing her mind to adjust to its new capabilities, able to focus on multiple systems of thought at the same time. She loved the sensation of her mate's body pressed against hers, feeling safe and secure in his protective embrace. Jasper began getting worried though as time continued to pass without any kind of movement or response from Bella. _Did she die for real?_ he fretted.

Just as he was about to move to check on her, he heard and felt her inhale deeply. She tensed slightly, temporarily overwhelmed by the rush of new input it afforded her. She recognized Jasper's molasses and wood smoke scent, as well as her own flowery one. She instantly knew there were two other vampires nearby, distinguishing the spiced peaches aroma of the female and the cedar and leather of the male. She didn't recognize the scents at all from her time as a human, but before she could panic, the peaceful way her mate was lying there beside her registered, and she deduced it must be Peter and Charlotte, the friends Jasper had been picking up from the airport when she was attacked.

She forced herself to relax, knowing her mate would protect her from any danger. Somehow he had come through before, even though he was far away when she needed him most, which only proved to her that she could trust him to always be there for her. She remembered being thrown into a tree and hearing an ominous snap before losing consciousness. Her Jasper had saved her and changed her so they could be together forever, something Edward would have never considered.

He didn't try to force her to continue living human in abject misery with heavy bruises and broken bones, like Edward had done after her last vampire attack. Jasper had clearly realized that a few days of intense pain now to wake up healthier and stronger than ever was a far superior choice compared to enduring endless weeks of pain and helplessness, while merely postponing the days of burning she intended for herself at some point anyway. She was glad to have those days over and behind her once and for all. She would never be so vulnerable ever again.

Once she was comfortable with everything she could hear, feel, and smell, she breathed in through her mouth, tasting the air. This added a whole new dimension to the scents she'd already catalogued, not only of the vampires, but everything else in the room - fabric, wood, plastic, metal, stone, etc. Jasper had caught on to what she was doing, how she was exploring each scent one at a time, and marveled at her foresight in approaching things this way.

Finally, once she felt in control again, she opened her eyes, staring only at what was right in front of her for a while before moving her eyes around. She realized she'd known the approximate location of things around the room simply by the way they smelled. The sense of sight took more time for adjustment than any of the others, which is why she'd saved it for last. The information overload was twice all the other senses combined.

She still had yet to move her body even a millimeter from the position it had been in when her heart stopped. Now she cautiously moved her thumb, stroking across Jasper's skin. She felt the roughness of the bite marks she knew were there and tilted her head just enough so she could watch herself do it. The new position of her head gave her a much better view of her mate, and she marveled at the multiple shades of colors in his honey blond hair.

She tilted her head further to get a look at his face where it was lying on her chest, enjoying the peaceful, serene expression he was sporting, with his eyes closed as if he were sleeping. The scars she could see clearly now were not frightening or disgusting to her. Instead, she was filled with pride, knowing how strong and powerful he was to have survived so many vicious attacks, while his opponents no longer existed.

She reached up to run her fingers through his hair, surprised when it happened instantly. She felt the silky strands glide against her skin in a sensual way, gently scratching her fingernails against his scalp, careful not to hurt him. She felt and heard him inhale sharply and pushed her love and awe toward him. She heard a deep rumbling purr in his chest and felt the vibrations reverberate throughout her body, causing intensely pleasurable sensations.

Her body flooded with arousal, and she was overcome with a deep, primal urge to claim and be claimed by her mate. Tugging on his hair, she pulled his head up so she could kiss him. He opened his eyes to look at her, and she fell into the fathomless pools of inky blackness. Thoughts of feeding were the furthest things from her mind as a stronger hunger overcame her. She subconsciously mewled to communicate her need and was instantly rewarded with Jasper's lips moving against her own.

She reveled in the taste of him as she rubbed her tongue against his. She felt his hand cupping her between her legs and moved against it, seeking friction. He cooperated beautifully, pressing against her just right as her hips rocked against him. Frantically, she ripped all his clothes off of him, running her hands over him, exploring his skin. He reciprocated, removing her clothes in haste, shredding the fabric without regard for whatever she'd been wearing.

As soon as his fingers brushed against her moist lower lips without any barrier between them, a single thought shot across Bella's mind, causing her to inadvertently push him away, sending him flying across the room.

As he stared at her in shock, she yelled, "Shit! I'm still a fucking virgin!"

**xxxxxxxx**

**AN:** How's that?


	32. Taking Care of Business

**Taking Care of Business**

Marcus calmly informed the remaining Volturi of what happened to the others. He explained that drinking animal blood was the only known deterrent to the plague and that any who become infected should be immediately decapitated, which would lead to permanent death. He then charged them all with maintaining order and stopping the spread of the curse.

Dismissing them to hunt animals in the nature reserve forests of Berignone, Monterufoli, Casilli, and Castelvecchio, he went to his quarters and tore off his heavy black robe.

_I always hated that thing_, he thought, tossing it aside.

Changing into comfortable clothes, he went out into the forest, chasing down prey for the first time in millennium. It was oddly invigorating, having a reason to use his speed and hunting skills. The blood was bland, but filling. Unfortunately, large predators were few and far between in the area, and small predators, like foxes and weasels weren't really worth the effort of procuring them.

_I can finally join my Didyme, but I owe it to my people to resolve this issue first. As soon as it's run its course, I'll turn over governance of our world to Carlisle Cullen and get some peace at long last, _he soothed himself. _If he doesn't find a cure, the only vampires who remain will be those willing to drink animal blood. Those who are too stubborn to change their diet - we're better off without them anyway._

**xxxxxxx**

Jane spat out her first mouthful of deer blood and angrily tossed the dying animal away from her. "That's disgusting!" she growled. "I refuse to stoop to such levels."

She went in search of her brother. He'd managed to drain several wild sheep, though he didn't look happy about it. She scowled at him. "How can you drink that stuff? It's horrible!"

He shrugged. "It beats becoming human and having my head removed."

Jane rolled her eyes. "That'll never happen to me," she declared. "I'd stop any enemy with my gift before he or she could get to me."

Alec furrowed his brow. "Are you sure that would work?"

She nodded emphatically, determined to prove it.

**xxxxxxx**

Once free of Chelsea's power, Corin finally realized she'd essentially been kept prisoner in Volterra for centuries, forced to enslave others with her gift for Aro's benefit, making them physically addicted to the feeling of contentment she could produce. As soon as she finished feeding from the two wild boar she'd found, she decided to make a run for it. She had no desire to return to the castle, wanting to see the world for the first time since Aro found her roughly 1500 years ago.

Because of the cursed blood Aro and Caius drank, their bonds were broken with their mates, enabling the wives to endure the death of the two kings without being dragged down by it the way mates normally were. Unfortunately for them, they were too addicted to Corin's gift from the constant exposure to it to function without her, so they followed her trail.

Marcus understood what had happened and let them go without protest. Jane and Alec were also addicted to Corin's gift, but not to the same extent as the wives. Aro had ordered Corin to use her abilities on them only periodically to keep them complacent, so they wouldn't try to fight him for power. Thus, the twins didn't start feeling the effects of her absence until two days later.

**xxxxxxx**

**Bella POV**

I stared, chagrined, at my poor shocked mate who'd landed up against the wall, catching himself in time to prevent causing any damage. I hadn't meant to push him so hard, only intending to get his attention. I was used to hanging around supernatural creatures as a human instead of as an equal, when my hardest shoves felt feather light to them. This new strength of mine was going to be a bit of an adjustment.

I heard Peter and Charlotte make a run for it out of the house and was glad they weren't going to be there to witness any more of my humiliation. Jasper was quickly back across the room and in my arms, soothing my distress. I felt like crying. "Now it's going to hurt every time you fuck me for the rest of eternity!"

"Hush, sweetie, of course it won't! Why would you think that?" he cooed.

"Because you'll have to break my super strong vampire hymen, which will hurt like hell, then it'll regrow as soon as you're done!" I wailed.

I saw my mate's lips twitching out of the corner of my eye as he tried to hide his amusement. _Little fucker! How would he like to get circumcised every time he wants to have sex? I bet that skin would grow back too. Let's see how funny he thinks it is then,_ I mentally huffed.

"Darling, I can take care of your hymen for you right now, and you'll never have to worry about it again," he promised, trying to get me to lie down.

"How the hell are you going to do that?" I demanded.

He smirked. "It's right here at the entrance. I'll be able to see it easily if you'll just lay back and spread your legs for me. I can remove it with my fingernails and seal the affected area with my venom, so it can't repair itself."

I shook my head in denial. "No, that doesn't make sense. You can't just see it! It's like halfway inside the canal. I've read enough steamy romance novels to remember the descriptions. The guy penetrates her several inches before encountering the resistance of her barrier."

Jasper chuckled. "Actually, the hymen stretches like a balloon, so the guy is able to penetrate several inches pushing against it before it finally becomes rigid and snaps, which is when he feels the resistance. And it really is right at the front at the opening where even a human can easily see it. You should Google it if you don't believe me."

"I think I will," I remarked petulantly, crossing my arms over my chest.

"Or you could just trust me, and I promise I'll make you feel really, really good," he purred, running his hands up my thighs, sending tingles shooting upward to my pussy.

"Well, if you promise," I easily conceded, leaning back on the pillow and letting my legs fall apart naturally, as I felt my lust start building again.

He dove in with his tongue in my most sensitive of places, and I hissed in pleasure, feeling his warm breath fan out over my wetness. He quickly located the nubbin of sensation -the one I had only recently located myself, with a little help from the internet, to help relieve some of the sexual tension I felt whenever I woke up in the night from dreams of Jasper. Jasper's ministrations sent shock waves through me, so much more powerful than my own clumsy fingers had produced in my few nightly exploratory sessions.

I fisted my hands in his curls, tugging him closer, rocking my hips against him. "Uh, Jasper! So good!" I purred, my chest rumbling the way his had done earlier. I felt and heard him begin purring once again, the vibrations shooting through me, resonating up into my chest where my heart no longer beat.

His hands slid up my body to my breasts, playing with them expertly, making me gasp as it felt like lightening bolts of pleasure coursed through my body._  
_

I felt the wetness pooling now as he brought one hand back down and began swirling his finger around my opening with just a light pressure. I bucked against him, starting to pant and writhe in the bed as the tension built up in my muscles. I felt myself heating up and was glad I could no longer sweat.

His tongue prodded against the tiny bundle of nerves, right where I needed it. Finally, I couldn't take it anymore and felt myself convulsing as waves of pleasure washed over me. I felt like I was floating, lost in a euphoric haze, barely feeling a pinch as he tore away my hymen with his fingers, cutting it away in a semi-circle with surgical precision. I became aware of him flooding my entrance with his venom.

The burning sensation brought me back down to earth, replacing my lust with discomfort. It was somewhat painful, but easily manageable, like I remembered scraped knees feeling back when I was human. With my balance issues, that was a sensation I'd become quite used to enduring.

Knowing I was no longer in an amorous mood, Jasper pulled back and smiled, suggesting, "How about I take you hunting and get your other hunger taken care of now?"

I looked down and saw his member standing straight up, begging for attention. "Shouldn't I take care of you first?" I asked. I'd never gotten a guy off before, but I'd done some research online on what to do, so I'd be ready when the time came.

He shook his head and smirked, moving over to the dresser to grab some clothes for both of us. "I'm not letting those razor sharp teeth of yours anywhere near my family jewels until you've been well fed, darling," he drawled. "You need the blood in your system to help you stay calm when your instincts flare."

He suddenly shuddered, grimacing in horror at a memory. "I've seen what happens when a thirsty newborn gets startled while pleasuring someone down there. It isn't a pretty sight. Thank God I wasn't the one who had to learn _that_ lesson the hard way!"

**xxxxxxx**

**AN: **There ya go - no more pesky hymen to worry about. Lol. How long do you think Jane's little plan is going to work for her?


	33. A Cure?

**A Cure?**

The Amazonian coven finally located Nahuel in the wilds of Brazil. He cautiously agreed to talk to Carlisle, since the Amazons vouched for him. Nahuel and Huilen were surprised to learn that vampires could exist solely on animal blood, wondering why they'd never thought of doing that themselves, given their respect for human life.

They listened patiently to Carlisle's story, becoming alarmed upon learning more about the curse. They refused to go anywhere near the humanoids, not wanting to become infected themselves.

Nahuel reluctantly allowed Carlisle to take samples of his blood and venom. They moved back into Columbia as a group, all proactively hunting animals, but stayed well away from Carlilse's family, just to be safe. Carlisle obtained the medical equipment he needed to study the samples and the effects they had on cursed blood.

"Fascinating!" he crowed. "The witch said the curse first returns the vampire's cells back to their natural human state. However, Nahuel was born this way, not changed, so this _is_ his natural state. Thus, the curse is helpless against it!"

Nahuel refused to bite the humanoids, still concerned about the possibility of becoming contaminated himself. They worked out a compromise, and Carlisle collected a large enough quantity of venom to inject via syringe.

When he got back to his family, he didn't tell them anything about Nahuel, making up a story regarding the contents of the cure. He felt bad about lying to them, but he had to honor his agreement to remain silent on the existence of hybrids if he wanted their continued cooperation.

Rose and Emmett could tell Carlisle wasn't confident the cure would work and was hiding something about where and how he'd gotten it. Thus, they were reluctant to trust either him or it, given the mistake they made in trusting Edward about the curse in the first place. Carlisle was terrified for his mate to be the first to try it though, worried it would make the situation worse, and Esme wasn't overly eager either. They all felt Edward should be the initial guinea pig, but knew the wolves would never allow it, especially considering Edward was vehemently against changing back into a vampire.

Unfortunately, Carlisle realized he'd screwed up rather badly in listening to Edward and not testing him or questioning him further the first time around, so he couldn't blame the others for not trusting him now. After a significant amount of inner turmoil, he decided he had to risk his own mate to prove the cure successful before he could expect anyone else to accept it.

He waited until Esme had fallen asleep, then injected her with Nahuel's venom. He knelt by her side and desperately began to pray, hoping for the best. It didn't take long for her to begin moaning and shuddering, tossing her head back and forth as if having a nightmare.

Thirty-six long, torturous hours later, she finally lay still. Carlisle furrowed his brow, realizing he could still hear her heart beating. Her body was still warm too, feverish, and he could still smell blood in her system, though he could smell venom too. Her eyes popped open, still hazel, and she stared at him in consternation.

"Carlisle? I felt like I was burning all over again! What did you do to me?" she demanded. She sat up, her movements quick, faster than a human's.

Carlisle frowned sadly. "I'm sorry, my dear. I tried to cure you, but I don't think it worked. You're still not a vampire."

She growled angrily and pushed him away, hopping up and racing to look at herself in the bathroom mirror. She noticed the stress lines had faded from her face and her baby paunch had disappeared, melting away like it had the first time she changed. Since her baby had only been a few days old when he died and she attempted suicide, she hadn't had time for her uterus to contract back to normal size or to lose the extra weight she'd put on for her pregnancy, so it had come back when she became a humanoid.

The rapid healing had helped with her uterus, and she'd worked to get back in shape in the six weeks or so since she awoke from the witch's curse, but her lower abdomen had still puffed out in ways it hadn't as a vampire. Now her body was back in the same gorgeous condition it had been in for the eighty-odd years she'd lived as Carlisle's wife.

As she thought about the changes she could see, she noticed she felt thirsty. Her throat was scratchy, like she was coming down with a cold. She ran the water, filling a small cup and drinking it, but it didn't soothe her the way she'd expected. If anything, her slightly sore throat felt a little worse. It reminded her a little bit of how she used to feel when she was satiated as a vampire. Her throat had always kept a slight burn no matter how much animal blood she drank.

While reminiscing about hunting, she was startled to notice her eyes darkening, similar to the way they had when she'd been a vampire.

"Carlisle?" she called nervously, peering into the mirror and rubbing her throat with her hand. He quickly zipped into the bathroom to join her, his gaze concerned and repentant.

"I think maybe the cure did work to some extent," she admitted. "I'm feeling thirsty, and my body has changed. I know I'm warm and still have a heartbeat, but I'm craving blood. It's almost like I'm half-human, half-vampire."

Carlisle's eyes widened in shock. Huilen's existence had proven that Nahuel's venom had the ability to change a normal human into a full vampire, and his tests in the lab had confirmed that the hybrid's venom behaved exactly the same way toward human cells as Carlisle's venom did. The difference he'd observed had been in the way the venom reacted with the humanoid blood. Carlisle's venom had been overcome by the cursed blood, turning the venom into humanoid cells. Nahuel's venom, on the other hand, had invaded the infected cells in the same way as it invaded normal human cells, changing it.

Carlisle had thus assumed Nahuel's venom would work on the humanoids the same way it would on a normal human. He hadn't tested the changed humanoid blood on a DNA level though, which he now realized was a significant oversight on his part. He cursed himself for not testing everything fully before using it on his mate. She had been changed by the venom, but how, into what?

_The curse tries to counteract the venom, returning it to its natural human state, but as I thought before, Nahuel's natural state is a hybrid. Does that mean the curse stops his venom from making a full vampire, leaving them in the same hybrid state as his natural DNA?_ he postulated.

He thought about everything he'd learned about the natural hybrids. They had most of the strength and speed of a full vampire, enough to defend themselves, but they also had other advantages that helped them blend in better with humans. They didn't sparkle in the sun, were warm, had a heartbeat, had a normal human eye color, could sleep, could eat and enjoy human food, and didn't feel the thirst as strongly as full vampires did. They also enjoyed rapid healing and immortality like the shifters.

_It would be wonderful if the cure turns them into hybrids instead,_ Carlisle decided. _The only downside is probably not being able to reattach removed body parts. They are more vulnerable, easier to kill, than full vampires. Still, if this is the result of the cure, it would enable Nahuel and his sisters to interact with other vampires without fear of exposure. They would simply pretend to be cured vampires, not telling anyone they were actually born that way._

He hurriedly obtained samples from Esme and took off for the lab to find out for certain what she'd become. On the way, he called Nahuel and asked him to get samples from his sisters if possible for comparison. Nahuel was resistant at first, but once Carlisle told him what he thought the cure had done and how it could mean freedom for Nahuel and his siblings to interact with others without fear, he agreed to undertake the journey.

**xxxxxxx**

Nahuel had just gathered the blood samples from his sisters and stored them in a small cooler when Joham came stumbling in the front door, looking like something the cat had dragged in backwards through a swamp. Nahuel smirked at the panic and distress on his father's face, realizing Joham had become a victim of the curse. His eyes flew to his aunt with concern and was relieved to see she wasn't affected by the scent of Joham's blood.

_Thank goodness we took Carlisle's advice and have been feeding from animals_, he thought. He could see the same relief in Huilen's eyes as he exchanged a glance with her. He was also pleased to note that his sisters were immune to the call of the cursed blood even though they still drank from humans. He remembered the words the witch had used in the curse: "_those whose hearts no longer beat and who carry the blood of humans in their bellies_" and realized hybrids were naturally immune because of their beating hearts.

"Son!" Joham cried. "Something terrible has happened to me! You've got to change me back!"

Nahuel shook his head, replying, "This is the plague that's sweeping all through the world. We heard about it, but you're the first victim I've seen in person. They're working on a cure, but so far the only thing they've found to help turns the person into a half-vampire like us, instead of a full vampire like you used to be."

"What?" Joham whined. "What good is that? It's all well and good for you guys - at least you're better than those pesky humans, but _I'm_ better than that! I don't want to be a pathetic weakling like you! I want to be strong and powerful like I was meant to be!"

The girls all flinched and whimpered at his hurtful words.

"Dad?" Jennifer asked.

Joham grimaced, not even bothering to look in her direction as he waved his hand dismissively. "Don't call me that! You're just a science experiment I performed to ease my eternal boredom. Now you're useless to me! I should go put my expertise to good use helping them with the cure."

As much as he hated his father, Nahuel couldn't bring himself to behead the man himself. With a smile, he suggested, "Why don't you come with me? I know where the team is that's working on the cure."

Joham grinned widely, "That's my boy! Glad to know you're not as useless as the rest of them."

He carried Joham on his back as they ran back to where the Amazonian coven was stationed near the laboratory. As soon as he set Joham down, the former vampire began belittling the ladies' appearance and insulting their intelligence, while promoting his own scientific knowledge and demanding to be made part of the team searching for the cure. The three females exchanged a glance and moved as one to rip Joham apart, as per the Volturi decree.

Huilen grinned with satisfaction, while Nahuel was stoic. "Thank you. I know he was just a sperm donor, but I couldn't conscience killing him myself, if only because I knew how much it would hurt my sisters. I didn't want them to blame me for his death, which they would have if I or Huilen had done it. This way I can say I brought him to the ruling council who chose to execute him according to their laws. My sisters are going to need my and Huilen's guidance and support to know how to live without him. They've been kept hidden on his property forever and have no idea how to interact with the real world."

**xxxxxxx**

**AN:** Another twist, just to keep you on your toes. What do you think?


	34. Mischief of One Kind or Another

**Mischief of One Kind or Another**

Carlisle stared at the DNA results in pleased amazement. A sudden thought occurred to him. "Hey, Nahuel, do your sisters have a menstrual cycle?"

Nahuel flushed red and shrugged. "How on earth should I know?" he snapped, embarrassed.

"Well, would you mind giving me a sample of your ejaculate?" Carlisle asked, unfazed.

"Excuse me?" Nahuel squeaked, eyes wide.

"I'd like to examine it under a microscope and do a DNA sampling to see if you ave the ability to procreate," Carlisle explained. Seeing Nahuel's mutinous expression, he hastily added. "I promise to destroy any leftover material. You're welcome to watch the entire procedure."

"Why do you want to know?" Nahuel inquired suspiciously.

"I thought it would be better to know than not know and risk the consequences of being surprised later. I only recently discovered that vampires even have sperm, and before meeting you, I'd have thought a hybrid was a physical impossibility," Carlisle calmly replied. "Additionally, once vampires become humanoid, they are barren. The female ovaries contain no eggs and the male ejaculate has no sperm. I was wondering whether or not that is the same for the hybrids."

"Fine," Nahuel huffed, going to the bathroom to obtain a sample.

Having overheard the conversation, Huilen approached. "What difference does it make?" she demanded, eyes narrowed.

Understanding that her resentment stemmed from the callous treatment of her sister, Carlisle didn't take offense. "My wife and my daughter would dearly love to have children. It's why they wanted to be human. They accepted the curse willingly because they thought it would make them fully human and capable of getting pregnant. My wife's son died a few days after his birth, leading her to attempt suicide by jumping off a cliff. I found her in the morgue and changed her - the humans who found her thought she was already dead. I found and changed my daughter when she was brutally beaten, gang-raped, and left in an alley to die a week before her wedding. All she wanted was a houseful of children and to grow old with her husband, surrounded by their progeny. Both women have lived all these decades filled with the ache of what they lost."

He looked into Huilen's eyes, seeing the pain and compassion there, guessing she was thinking of her sister again. "They were devastated when they found out the change they'd sought was a lie and had rendered them barren. If there's any hope they might be able to become pregnant after being transformed into hybrids, it would mean the world to them."

Huilen closed her eyes and nodded. Looking away, she admitted, "Nahuel's sisters are on an annual cycle, rather than a monthly one, only ovulating once a year. None of them have ever gotten pregnant though, despite Joham's attempts to make it happen. He's tried breeding them with humans and vampires, to no avail. He even collected samples from Nahuel and inserted them at the right time, but nothing happened. He also tried mixing Nahuel's sperm with a human egg, intending to do in-vitro fertilization, but the human eggs invariably died upon being invaded by Nahuel's sperm. Joham also found that in-vitro didn't work for hybrid embryos, the eggs he fertilized with his own vampire sperm. The human girls' bodies always rejected the fertilized eggs, not allowing them to implant. The only way he was able to reproduce was to actually have sex with the human girls, but that wasn't always effective."

Carlisle grimaced, realizing why the two of them were so suspicious of his motives. Joham had been a heartless bastard.

Nahuel turned over the sample he'd produced and watched carefully as Carlisle examined it.

"Your sperm count is very low," Carlisle commented aloud. "In a human, this level would be considered infertile."

Nahuel nodded. "I know."

Carlisle sighed and prepared a small bit of it for DNA sampling, trying to make sure he got as many of the sperm as possible.

"I think procreation is highly unlikely," Carlisle admitted.

Nahuel nodded again. "Joham even went so far as to extract eggs from my sisters and try to fertilize them with my sperm in the laboratory setting, but my sperm didn't even attempt to enter their eggs. The sperm just ignored the hybrid eggs, whereas they did attack human eggs, only to kill them. Also, Joham found that vampire sperm did attack the hybrid eggs, but it destroyed them the same way my sperm did with the human ones. And human sperm attempted to enter the hybrid eggs but could never break through the protective barrier around it. So basically, human/vampire couples can reproduce, but vampire/hybrid or human/hybrid couples definitely can't, and maybe not hybrid/hybrid couples either."

Carlisle frowned, his shoulders sagging. "I suppose it just wasn't meant to be."

Nahuel bit his lip, then hesitantly offered, "I always wondered if it might be different between hybrid mates though. My sperm ignored my sister's eggs, which quite honestly, relieved me greatly, but it seems strange to have those reproductive materials at all if they're completely useless. I wondered if I ever met another hybrid, one who wasn't related to me, if my sperm would be attracted to her egg instead of ignoring it, you know? If I met my mate, would she and I be compatible in a way my sisters and I were not?"

Carlisle's eyebrows raised and he tilted his head as the thought about Nahuel's idea. "I suppose it's possible," he conceded. "It's not like you've ever been able to test your theory before, since you and your sisters have been the only hybrids up until now."

Nahuel smiled briefly and shrugged one shoulder in acknowledgement. "Is it conclusive then? Is your Esme truly a hybrid now?"

Carlisle smiled and nodded. "Yes, her DNA profile matches that of you and your sisters well enough to say with certainty that she is. Time will tell for sure if she has the same properties the rest of you guys do. I'm going to test as many of them as I can today - the reaction to the sun, ability to eat human food, level of blood lust, and ability to sleep. If all of that checks out adequately, then I hope to change my son and daughter."

**xxxxxxx**

**BPOV**

I was returning from my first hunt, feeling satisfied and proud of myself, flashing gracefully through the trees hand in hand with my mate. I had taken down two elk and a bobcat without much damage to my clothes and spilling very little of the blood. Jasper had praised me on my natural aptitude. Of course, I was dirty and had leaves in my hair now, but I felt carefree and uninhibited. I was eager to get back to the house and into the shower with my Jasper, where hopefully I would be able to give him some of the same kind of pleasure he'd given me earlier.

My instincts brought me to an abrupt halt just inside the treeline, as my senses detected two vampires waiting near the house.

"Is that Peter and Char?" I whispered, looking to Jasper for confirmation. While I was comfortable with my mate, I felt wary toward anyone else, even if they were friends.

He smiled comfortingly at me and nodded, wrapping an arm around me to help me feel more secure.

I inhaled deeply to ingrain their scents in my memory and got a whiff of something utterly foul. "What's that stench?" I hissed. Jasper sniffed the air, then grimaced.

Before he had a chance to reply, I heard the sound of someone crashing through the underbrush of the forest, on the opposite side of the house, at a considerable pace. I tensed, preparing for a threat, my brain recognizing the unmistakable speed of another vampire. Beside me, Jasper was alert and crouched, ready to defend me if necessary.

A scruffy, shirtless warrior broke through the treeline across the way and raced toward the house, a bundle of fabric balled up in one fist and a black leather backpack dangling from the other. His face was a mask of rage as he made a beeline for Jasper's friends, who were standing on the front porch.

Peter patted Char's arm before hopping down the steps and moving forward into the yard to confront his approaching attacker. Peter had his hands up in a placating gesture, and my memory conjured up Jasper's explanation of Peter's gift and playful, provoking nature. Realizing from the amusement Jasper was now projecting that Peter was in no real danger and likely deserved whatever was about to happen allowed me to relax and enjoy the entertainment from the safety of my position within the forest.

"That's our friend, Garrett. Peter must've called him," Jasper confided in my ear. I shifted to lean my back against his chest, melting into him as he wrapped his arms around me. He rested his chin on top of my head as we watched the scene unfold together.

"You little bastard!" Garrett roared, tossing the backpack aside and pouncing on Peter. He knocked Peter to the ground and began vigorously rubbing the bundle of fabric in Peter's face. "You pretended to be Carlisle and told me skunk tasted the most like human blood! Now you're going to share in the results of that little hellish hunt!"

Peter was laughing hysterically while attempting to hold his breath and desperately trying to get the skunk scented shirt away from him.

_Garrett was smart to retaliate in such a way_, I thought with a smirk. _Because it would do no real damage to Peter, his gift is useless to protect him against this kind of assault._

Peter began struggling in earnest as soon as Garrett took advantage of Peter's laughing, open mouth to shove parts of the shirt into it, as if trying to gag him. Peter knocked Garrett's arms away, bucking the other vampire off of him, while hacking and spitting, trying to get the taste of skunk spray off his tongue.

"Man, that's foul!" Peter hollered, wrestling with Garrett for control.

"You've got nobody but yourself to blame for it either!" Garrett hotly retorted. "If you'd used anybody's voice but Carlisle's I never would've believed you."

Peter smirked. "I love technology! So much easier to fool people long distance."

"Well, I hate these bloody cell phones," Garrett complained. "You'd better count your lucky stars there really is a plague, or you'd be in a lot worse trouble right now."

"Whatever you say, buddy," Peter chuckled unrepentantly.

**xxxxxxx**

**AN:** Peter sure is a naughty boy. What do you think will happen when a newborn Bella meets him for the first time? What will he do to push her buttons? I want to hear your ideas of what Peter might say or do to push Bella over the edge into a rage attack. That is his favorite game after all. If I use your idea, I'll give you credit. Thanks!


	35. Impatient Patients

**Impatient Patients**

Jane was starting to experience withdrawals from Corin's gift and was getting even more irritable than usual. Without Chelsea around to bond her to Marcus, her only loyalty was to her twin, and everyone else was getting a taste of her wrath.

Frowning, Marcus addressed her, "Jane, you need to go hunt. If you can't control your temper, you're of no use to us. You're making it harder for us to accomplish the things we need to do to protect our kind. Maybe the blood will help settle you. If not, perhaps you need to track down Corin and stay with her instead."

Growling, Jane hit him with her gift. Worried, Alec wrapped his arms around her and began tugging her out of the room, fearing for her life.

"Enough!" Marcus yelled as soon as he regained control of his faculties. "If you ever turn your gift on me again, I'll have you executed for treason! Get out of here and don't come back until you're ready to behave yourself!"

Seeing the murderous gleam in the eyes of all the others, Jane knew they would gladly carry out the order to execute her. Alec knew it as well. Even though he would do his best to defend her, his gift was slow and Jane's only worked on one at a time. The others had all trained with the twins for centuries and had developed ways to work around their gifts. If the rest of the Guard stood against them, the twins would eventually both fall.

Alec picked Jane up and ran out of the castle with her. Once safely outside, she hit him on the shoulder, complaining, "Let me down. I can run on my own."

He set her down on her feet, taking her hand and running alongside her toward Florence, allowing her to take the lead while he pulled out his cell phone and called Demetri.

"Jane and I are both feeling the loss of Corin's gift," he admitted, his voice heavy with resentment. "As much as I hate to admit it, we're addicted to it, like a human crackhead. I doubt either of us will be able to regain our equilibrium without getting a shot of Corin's contentment to tide us over. It just shows how much Aro manipulated us all without our knowledge."

"Yeah, with Chelsea gone, we can all feel and see the difference," Demetri agreed. "As soon as this plague thing is under control, I'm out of here. It's time for me to be my own man again and see what I've been missing out on all these years."

"Will you please tell me where Corin is and which way she's heading?" Alec pleaded. "Until we get our 'fix', Jane and I are both going to be on edge, and nobody wants to be around either of us when we're on a short fuse."

As they talked, Jane moved in the direction of the airport. She'd done several fishing runs with Heidi in the past, so she knew the way. She was used to feeding from tourists and didn't even consider the dangers of doing so now.

With single-minded determination, she approached the main building, watching the humans as they headed toward their cars, loaded down with luggage. A group of three caught her eye because they carried only one small bag apiece. Moving closer, she approached them from behind, inhaling deeply. Before Alec could stop her, she let go of his hand and raced at top speed to attack.

Alec's eyes widened in alarm as she risked exposure, pouncing on the man out in the open in broad daylight. As he moved to hide her indiscretion from human eyes, he was surprised to see the humans shifting to shield her as well. One glimpse of their faces was enough to explain the reason why. They weren't humans. The three former vampires used to make up one of the Asian covens.

The humanoids recognized the Volturi and thought they were being saved. Alec quickly pushed Jane and the one she was guzzling into a nearby taxi, so the real humans wouldn't be witness to what was occurring, while the other two humanoids jumped inside as well.

"Drive!" Alec ordered the cab driver, giving him directions to a nearby garage where the Volturi tour buses were kept in storage. He tried to pull Jane off of her meal, but she was unresponsive. At last, he simply forced her jaws apart with enough force to tear the tendons holding it shut. He used his gift to keep her from crying out in pain.

The driver was terrified, having seen Alec's orange-red eyes in the rearview mirror and drove like a bat out of hell, hoping the presence of the other humans would save him from the demon in the back seat.

Not wanting to worry about disposing of the cab and its driver, Alec decided to let the man go. He took the time to dazzle the man into forgetting where he'd been and who he'd taken there. He paid the man generously as he rewrote the guy's memory into one of a happy couple dropped off at an expensive hotel.

Alec carried an unconscious Jane into the warehouse, followed by the three former vampires clamoring with questions. "I will answer you all in a moment!" Alec growled as he punched in the key code to obtain entry into the building. He carefully laid his sister on the floor, then turned on the group who were unintentionally responsible for her current predicament.

Before their human senses even knew what happened, he'd decapitated all three of them. He searched their bodies for anything of use, such as money or jewelry before tossing their remains into the incinerator built specifically for that purpose. Sometimes the Guards who were running the tour operation would need to feed before being able to stand being in such close proximity to a busload of prey.

He checked their bags for valuables as well, putting everything he found into one of the bags and tossing the other two into the flames with their owners. Sighing to himself, he wished Jane had just sucked it up and drank the animal blood like everyone else did.

Hearing her heart start beating again, he knew he couldn't take her back to Volterra or she would be killed on sight. As much as he needed the 'fix' from Corin, he couldn't take her there either. _Nobody is expecting to see us for a while_, he consoled himself. _My only hope of saving her is to hide her until Carlisle finds the cure._

With that in mind, he took off running, a bag on his back and his sister in his arms, trying to find a place where he could adequately conceal, care for, and protect her.

**xxxxxxx**

"The curse has been used in the past here in South America, though the effects were not as widespread. It is a dark magic handed down through the generations. Kachiri knew the cure and helped the others she came across. I have met at least one other who became a hybrid, like Esme is now, many years ago. He knows of three others who became hybrids over the years as well. They've been in hiding, unsure of how they would be treated by other vampires. My new friend Nahuel has been this way for over 150 years. Some of his sisters, the other hybrids, have been around even longer. That's how we can know what to expect," Carlisle explained the cover story he'd come up with to his family, holding Esme's hand. He'd told them all the ways hybrids were different from full vampires, as well as their similarities, not wanting them to worry about what Esme had become.

"Why were you so worried about giving it to Esme then, if you knew what to expect?" Rose accused suspiciously. "Why didn't you explain all this beforehand?"

"Well, until we actually tried it, there was no way of knowing for sure that this particular witch hadn't changed something within the wording in the curse," Carlisle prevaricated. "She'd indicated in her letter that she'd considered altering the language to make it more all-encompassing, so I couldn't know for certain until we tried the cure and then did all the labwork to confirm it. I didn't want to indicate I knew more than I actually did."

"So you risked my life with an untested cure?" Esme asked angrily, pulling away from her husband.

He winced and apologized. "Kachiri was confident it was your only hope. I didn't tell you this before either, because I didn't want to worry you, but the curse has spread throughout the world now. Victoria managed to make it to Italy and spread it to the Volturi themselves. Aro and Caius are both gone, as well as Chelsea and her mate and another of the guard members. Marcus has issued a royal decree that all humanoids are to be instantly eradicated to stop the spread until a cure is found. If anybody else sees you, you're all dead! I can't protect you forever - Demetri knows where I am and that I'm working on the cure. It's only a matter of time before some of them come here. This cure was the only chance I had of saving you!"

Esme sighed. "I suppose I shouldn't be surprised. You didn't obtain my consent before changing me into a vampire the first time around either."

Carlisle looked away, chagrined. "I'm sorry, Esme, but you're my mate. If you die, I die. I had to save you. I tried to get you to agree to treatment, but you all were so insistent Edward be the first to try the experimental cure. I understood why you felt that way, but the wolves would never allow us to inject him against his will. They'd protect Leah's imprint with their lives, regardless of how they feel about him personally, and he'd never agree to be changed when he was finally in love and happy."

"Alright, honey, I understand," Esme admitted, taking Carlisle's hand again. "I still love you, and I can feel our bond growing strong again, like it was before the curse interfered with it."

Carlisle smiled at her, relieved. "I'd like to perform an ultrasound on you now, if you don't mind."

"What? Why?" she asked, confused.

"Because there's a slight possibility your eggs may have been restored with the cure as well," he hesitantly admitted.

She immediately insisted he check, and everyone crowded around the monitor while he ran the test. He breathed out a heavy sigh of relief when he saw there were indeed eggs there where the ovaries had been empty before. He turned shining eyes to meet hers, giving her a nod. She shrieked in happy excitement, as tears ran down the sides of her face, eyes full of hope.

She clutched his hand with both of hers, and he gave them a gentle squeeze. "The other hybrids only ovulate once a year, and they've never gotten pregnant before, so there's no guarantees it'll ever happen," he warned. "And even then, it'll never work as long as I'm a vampire. I'll have to become a hybrid too for there to be any chance of us conceiving together."

"We're ready, Carlisle," Rose suddenly declared, clinging to Emmett's bicep. "Cure us now, together."

Emmett nodded in agreement, looking forward to getting his strength and speed back, while still being able to eat human food and go out in the sun without fear of discovery.

**xxxxxxx**

**AN:** Still working on the scene with Peter & Bella. Please review! It means the world to me. I really do need the encouragement to help me keep going. Otherwise, it's too tempting to just read instead of write. Thanks!

And a special thank you to those of you who always review. I've tried to become one of those people for the sake of the authors I read, because I can see what a difference it makes to me to get that feedback, even just a word or two.


	36. Connections

**AN:** The first part of this chapter is dedicated to Tifa Lockhart 7, who said she missed Jasper/Bella alone time. I was betting others of you felt the same way, so I was happy to oblige with a bit of bonding.

**Connections**

Turning in Jasper's arms, I decided I didn't want to get caught in the middle of the horseplay going on in our front yard. I'd rather spend some quality time with my Jasper while Garrett gets caught up with Peter and Char. There'd be plenty of time to meet them all later, after a little alone time with my mate.

Smiling up into his beautiful honey eyes, I softly murmured, "Want to go for a walk?"

He grinned down at me agreeably and pulled me further into the forest away from the wrestling duo. Rather than walk, we jogged at a relatively slow pace through the trees, a mere 60 mph. I was able to see the intricate details of the bark and leaves on the trees, all the way down to the myriad of insects hunting and feeding. Spider webs were utterly fascinating with my new sight, and I was nearly distracted by watching one in progress. The gentle tug on my hand returned my focus back to my mate, and I followed along beside him, cataloging all the new sights, sounds, and smells into my memory.

Jasper led me up the moutainside to an overlook with a beautiful view of the valley below. We sat side by side on a boulder as my eyes darted around, drinking in all the new information. I could see the abundant wildlife even miles away, running, hiding, and scurrying along. I could see the birds feeding their babies high up in their nests and the squirrels gathering seeds to stuff inside their cheeks. I made careful note of the bigger game, like the elk, mule deer, and black bears and the predators who hunted them, the bobcats, cougars, and wolves, for future reference.

Leaning against Jasper, breathing in his scent with nobody else around for miles, I felt utterly peaceful and content. It was a beautiful feeling, one I wanted to hold onto for as long as possible. He wrapped his arms around me, holding me snugly against him, his face tilted into my hair, breathing in my scent in much the same way as I was doing to him.

"This is the absolute best part of having a mate, these feelings," Jasper confessed. "It's even better than sex, though that's out of this world too. That temporary ecstasy, as great as it is, can't beat this peaceful euphoria - the feeling that all is right with your world and nothing else matters, you know?"

I nodded, rubbing my cheek on his bicep, my fingers squeezing his where our hands were wrapped together. I sent him the overwhelming love and happiness welling up inside of me and felt an answering tsunami of emotion flowing back into and over me. If I weren't already sitting, I'd surely have collapsed from the force of the deluge of positive feelings.

We were silent for a while longer, simply reveling in each other's company and the deep emotional intimacy swelling between us. I could feel the bond between us growing stronger by the minute and took comfort in the knowledge that no one could ever tear us asunder. My Jasper would never leave or forsake me. He'd never hurt or betray me. I would never suffer being lonely or abandoned again.

Wherever he went, I would follow. I would always be able to find him, simply following the chain leading from my heart to his. It would pull me, guide me, ground me, a balm to soothe my troubled soul. He was my world, my everything, the center of my universe, and I would do anything for him, knowing he felt exactly the same way about me.

_He is my equal, my perfect match, strong where I am weak and weak where I am strong. Together we can accomplish anything,_ I thought, smiling to myself.

"What do you remember of your human life?" Jasper asked cautiously, finally breaking the comfortable silence between us.

I thought about it for a few seconds, making sure my memories were intact. "All the important things. As soon as I felt the burning I knew what was happening to me, so I spent the time trying to distract myself from the pain by thinking of everything I'd experienced in life up to that point, everything that made me who I was, so I wouldn't forget myself."

"Your parents?" he murmured carefully.

I nodded. "Yes, I remember my mother was neglectful and emotionally abusive. She can't hurt me anymore. I didn't want to forget though and end up mourning something that wasn't real, some romanticized version of what I thought Renee should have been. Esme was more of a mother to me in the short time I knew her than the woman who gave birth to me had ever been. I remember Charlie, and the conversations we had in the days before Vicki attacked. They changed my whole perspective of both my dad and myself, teaching me about the unconditional, self-sacrificing love of a true parent."

Jasper nodded encouragingly, admitting, "I promised Charlie you'd call him after you'd awoken and fed, as soon as you were coherent enough to carry on a conversation. He wants to stay in your life, even if it means changing into a vampire himself."

"Really?" I asked, surprised. "Oh, well, I guess that would be cool, not to have to worry about him getting old and dying. It was pretty scary contemplating his mortality when one of his best friends just had a heart attack and died, leaving behind children my age and younger. Still, I wouldn't want him living with us, if he did change, or even anywhere close enough to be able to hear us in the bedroom. That would be way too embarrassing. I don't think either of us would be able to look each other in the eye after something like that."

Jasper smirked in agreement. "Considering your reaction to your dad's shower activities, I'd agree that you wouldn't want to live within hearing distance."

"Oh, gross! Why'd you have to bring that up?" I whined. "Where's the brain bleach when you need it?"

Jasper's laughter rang out over the valley, causing a flurry of birds to take flight in fright and small critters to flee to their burrows. I enjoyed the carefree sound and the feel of his chest shaking against me. I couldn't help but smile at the joy and amusement my mate was emitting.

Once he'd recovered, he leaned over and grabbed a small, dry twig off the ground, nearly unseating me in the process. "Here," he said, handing it to me gently. "I want you to bend this twig without breaking it."

With my first attempt, I felt like I'd barely used any pressure at all, yet the twig instantly snapped in two. "Try again," Jasper calmly responded, taking one of the two pieces away.

It took quite a few tries, but I was finally able to put just the slightest, feather-light touch on each end, enough to make the twig flex without breaking. I felt his pride, as well as my own once I accomplished it.

"That's the amount of force you need to use when interacting with humans," he informed me. "They're nearly as fragile to us as that twig. Never forget it."

I felt my eyes widening in shock. _No wonder Edward was always so afraid of touching me,_ I realized. _It's doable, but it would be so easy to lose focus and use just a little too much force, causing bruises at the very least. It's not surprising he was never truly comfortable or relaxed around me in the months we were together, even if we were supposed to be mates._

Jasper grinned. "It's also the amount of force to use on electronics. I wasn't about to let you touch my cell phone until you could manage the twig. There's plenty more branches where that one came from, but getting a new phone is much more of a pain."

He pulled his phone out of his pocket and entered Charlie's number, handing it over to me once it started ringing. I gingerly held it up near my face, not needing it up next to my ear to hear clearly, but wanting it close enough to my mouth for Charlie to hear me.

"Hello?" Charlie's gruff voice sounded tinny through the phone.

"Hey, Dad! I'm back and better than ever!" I cheerfully replied. "I'm awake and fed, and I remember everything. I'm still me, just stronger and more durable. And I still love you, even though I rarely ever said it before."

"Bells?" he asked, amazed. "You sound so beautiful and happy."

"I _am_ happy, Dad. Wondrously so, in fact. I'm with my soul mate. I finally feel content and safe and complete in a way I never have before. I'll never be lonely again, Dad. Words can't begin to express how much that means to me."

"I think I understand, Bells. I'm sorry you were so hurt for so long. I'm sorry I didn't realize it sooner," he apologized, his voice choked.

"I'm sorry I didn't trust you enough to confide in you," I answered, knowing he was hurting. I didn't want him feeling like he'd failed me. "You were an awesome father, always there for me, even though I didn't always recognize it. I'm glad I didn't have to lose you in order to gain this new life and my new happiness. I'm glad you're still there for me, still my dad, loving me despite what I've become."

"Of course, Bells. I'll always love you, no matter what," he quickly replied. "Stay safe. Make sure you keep drinking from animals. There's been a lot of former vampires showing up here in town, seeking out the Cullens in hopes of being changed back. The wolves are handling it. I'm glad you're not here right now. I don't know how their blood would affect you with you still so full of your own human blood, and I don't want you to risk losing the bond you've gained with Jasper. He's a good man, and I trust him to take care of you."

I looked at Jasper with alarm at the news of other humanoids showing up in Forks. _The curse is spreading! How had it spread so quickly?_ I wondered. Then I felt the pride of knowing Jasper had earned Charlie's approval, something Edward had never accomplished.

"Okay, Dad, will do. I'm going to go now, but I'll call you again later. Take care of yourself."

I handed the phone back to Jasper, not trusting myself to press the button to end the call myself for fear of breaking it.

"We need to get back to the others and get a status report," Jasper declared urgently, after ending the call and putting away his phone. He grabbed my hand, and we raced back at full speed.

This time I didn't hesitate as we approached the house, seeing our three friends sprawled out comfortably on the porch waiting for us. Peter got off the porch swing and strolled down the steps to meet us.

"Well, if it isn't the prodigal returned," Peter sardonically greeted. "Hey, pretty girl. What's a classy broad like yourself doing with a loser like this one?"

I felt a small spark of anger at hearing Peter describe Jasper as a loser. _He's Jay's best friend and brother_, I reminded myself. _Men often like to engage in trash talk with their friends and siblings._ I dredged up memories of Emmett and Jasper trading insults with each other while playing one of their video games, trying to calm myself.

"Jasper is the best mate ever," I defended, wrapping my arms around one of his and hugging it to my chest to ground myself.

Peter shook his head. "You can't kid a kidder, sweetheart. He can't be much of a mate or lover, or his last mate wouldn't have left him for a dog. How bad does a guy have to be in bed for his wife to choose to screw an animal instead? I'm afraid you're setting yourself up for disappointment, doll."

I narrowed my eyes, feeling the flames of my anger growing. _How dare he insult my mate?_ "Jasper is an incredible lover! Better than you could ever be! I bet _you_ can't make _your_ mate orgasm without even touching her!"

_He's deliberately pushing my buttons to get a rise out of me_, I reminded myself. _It's his favorite game. If I lose my temper, he wins._

Peter's eyebrows raised, surprised by my challenge, then smirked. "He has to be able to make his mate orgasm without touching her. Nobody wants to see that ugly, scarred freak naked, not even his mate, so it's his only hope of getting any. I ought to do you a favor and take you away from him. He doesn't deserve you. Maybe introduce you to a few other friends you'd like better, like my buddy Garrett here."

White hot rage filled me when Peter referred to my mate as an ugly, scarred freak, knowing that Jasper worried about his appearance and felt insecure about the condition of his body due to his numerous scars. It was hitting below the belt and wasn't even remotely acceptable to me as a form of 'joking around'.

However, the moment I heard the words 'take you away from him', something snapped inside. All other words were nothing but white noise.

There was no more rational thought, no more attempts to calm myself. My complex brain with the ability to multitask was entirely focused on a single goal - eradicating the threat to my mate. The enemy had declared his intention to separate me from my beloved, and it would happen over my dead pile of smoldering ashes.

I pounced with such ferocity, the enemy's body dug a furrow in the ground. _Oh, goody, he's already digging his own grave_, I thought whimsically, pulling his head back with one hand and holding down his shoulders with the other, as my sharp teeth ripped into his neck like a hot knife through butter.

**xxxxxxx**

**AN:** Whew! Hope I did it justice. What do you think? As most of you suspected, Pete's gift is useless against her shield, something none of them had considered. Lol.

A special thank you to mamawolf1976 who suggested Peter humiliating Jasper, triggering Bella's protective instincts. cathy29jes made a similar suggestion of Peter talking badly about Jasper to make Bella angry. I agreed with both of them that would be the most likely way to cause her to attack, though I felt it needed a little something more to push her over the edge, since she was expecting trouble from Peter at the outset. Also, a special thanks to .X who suggested comments of a sexual nature. I included that aspect as well. And to Cullen Cousin who also had a good idea, with having Peter hit on Jasper, suggesting Bella wouldn't want to share him. So I used the idea of not sharing, but reversed it, with Peter suggesting he 'share' Bella out with his friends, taking her away from Jasper. Mrs. Jim was right that attacking Jasper would be the fastest way of provoking Bella into an attack. I'm not sure if she meant verbally or physically. Physically would definitely do the job, but I felt Peter's personality would take a more subtle approach. He delights in riling up people verbally until they move to respond physically. Still, your input helped with the final product, so thank you.

Thank all of you for your lovely reviews! I always enjoy your feedback and try to incorporate things when I can, without changing the direction of the story itself. It's hard when you're all so strongly divided about what you want though, such as with Charlie's change. I can't please everyone, of course, so in the end, I just do my best and make sure I'm happy with the results, hoping you will be too. :)


	37. Turn About is Fair Play

**Turn About is Fair Play**

Suddenly, I was hit from the side by another vampire, knocked away from the enemy I'd been attempting to destroy. A large chunk of his throat came with me, and I spit it out as I rolled away, tangled up with the new enemy. I heard the fierce growling of the vampire who was now trying to get enough of a purchase on me to start ripping off limbs, even as we tumbled end over end. Suddenly, the growling was replaced with whimpers, and the deadly female was curled up in the fetal position beside me, no longer a threat.

I moved to decapitate her, so she couldn't come after me or my mate once she recovered from whatever was afflicting her. I wanted her out of the way, so I could finish what I started with the one who wanted to take me away from my mate. He needed to die, so he could never make good on his threat, could never separate or harm me or my beloved Jasper ever again.

Before I could attack her though, I found myself scooped up in my mate's arms as he raced away. _Why are we retreating?_ I wondered, frustrated and worried. _We were winning! We should take out the enemy now while we have the advantage, not leave them to recover and regroup. They might build up an army against us if we leave them to their own devices instead of acting quickly and decisively!_

Jumbled images assaulted my brain of a red-headed woman threatening everyone I cared about, followed by a reminder of the fear and helplessness of another vampire grabbing my human body and carrying me away much like my mate was doing now, only that one had been an enemy, intending to hurt and kill me. I felt the calm my mate was sending to me and deflected it off to the side, sending him my rage, my need to protect, and my desire to destroy. His steps faltered as he was hit with the strength of my emotions.

He set me down and began decimating a nearby tree, shredding it into wood chips, creating a mound of mulch at his feet. I was pleased to see that he shared my anger and frustration now, but needed him to focus on helping me destroy our enemies instead of a harmless tree.

"Kill! Bad guys! Hurt us!" I spit out, attempting to explain as my mouth repeatedly flooded with venom, making it difficult to speak. _Good grief! What happened to advanced thought processes and superior intelligence?_ I thought, disconcerted by my telegraphic speech. _I'm as bad as a toddler! . . . Because I'm a newborn. No wonder they refer to new vampires in childlike terms._

This train of thought started slowly bringing me back to myself, forcing me to focus on something other than immediate death and destruction. Meanwhile, Jasper was able to ground himself again, having dispersed enough of the emotions I'd sent him. He moved over to me, his hands resting gently on my cheeks, filling me with peace and love.

He shook his head, cooing softly to comfort me. "No bad guys. No threat. We're safe. Safe, Bella."

Using my enhanced senses, I could tell there was nobody else nearby. We hadn't been pursued. As he said, we were currently safe. I relaxed slightly, my eyes perusing my mate thoroughly, making sure he was without injury. I was frustrated with the clothing covering his body, preventing me from searching so much of his skin. I quickly ripped off his shirt, tossing it aside, and went for his pants, only to be stopped by his hands on my wrists.

"Wait! Please! I want to keep my pants, honey," he declared. "Use your sense of smell, darling. You can tell I'm not leaking venom anywhere. If I were, you'd smell it a mile away."

I inhaled deeply, letting his scent calm me further. _No injuries. Good. We stopped the enemies in time._ I thought with relief. _Now we just need to keep them from coming back at us later when we least expect it._

"Why did we run, Jasper?" I asked, pleased that I was no longer drowning in my own venom and able to speak in complete sentences without choking on the overflow. "We didn't burn them, so they can come at us again once they recover! What if they bring an army next time?"

He shook his head. "They're not the enemy, Bella. They're our friends. That was Peter and Char."

The enemy now had faces and names to go with the seething hatred and distrust whirling around inside me.

"Peter!" I growled, thinking back on the things he'd said. "He's no friend of ours, Jasper. He intends to separate us and pass me around as a sex toy to other males. He said horrible things about you, untrue but very hurtful things. I don't want any part of that."

"He didn't mean any of that, sweetie, I promise. He was just talking 'smack' to make you lose your temper and attack. It was supposed to trigger his gift, which would've been the fastest way to get a newborn like yourself to trust him and to keep you from being a threat to his mate, since you wouldn't have wanted to hurt him or his mate after getting a dose of it. Obviously, it backfired. I guess Eddie's gift isn't the only one that doesn't work on you, sweetheart," Jasper explained. "I just don't understand why mine and Alice's gifts work, but Eddie's and Peter's don't."

I narrowed my eyes in disbelief. Clearly my mate was influenced by Peter's gift and couldn't see how wrong those statements were. _Well, I'm not going to trust the little prankster. His 'charm' doesn't work on me to make me forget or dismiss the hateful crap he spews, and I'm going to protect my Jasper from this asshole, even though he doesn't believe he needs protecting._

Jasper felt my negative emotions and decided we needed a little more time to ourselves before he risked taking me back to confront our 'friends' again. He grabbed my hand and pulled me along with him back to our rock where we'd sat earlier. He pulled me onto his lap this time, cradling me close to him. I rubbed my hands over all the skin of his chest, back, and arms, tracing each and every one of his scars, allowing the contact to soothe us both.

_My mate is here and safe_, I reminded myself over and over again. _He's been through hell and back in the past, but I'll never let anyone hurt him again._

"Don't worry, darling," he promised. "I'll never let anyone come between us. Nobody will ever be able to take you away from me."

I nodded in agreement, rubbing my cheek against his chest, loving the way our scents were mixing together from the skin to skin contact.

He had me press my handprint into the stone, and I was surprised at how easy it was, no more difficult than making an imprint in the sand as a human. He then put his own handprint beside it, tilting it so our curved thumbs and our straight pointer fingers met to form a heart. Then underneath of it, he carved J + B with his finger.

"This boulder has been sitting on this mountain face for thousands if not millions of years, but our love is far stronger than it is," he told me, ducking his head shyly and looking up at me through his lashes.

I smiled, swept away by the love and joy his words made me feel, sharing the overwhelming emotions with him as my reply. "When all else passes away, my love for you shall still remain," I assured him.

His answering grin made me feel ten feet tall and ready to take on the world. Sensing the tenor of my feelings, he hesitantly reminded me, "We really need to find out what's been going on while we were out of it with your change. Apparently, a lot has happened with the curse in a relatively short period of time."

I sighed, knowing he was right. "Okay, lets go interrogate the usual suspects."

He snickered. "Leave the interrogation tactics to me this time, okay, little miss terrifying? It may be a while before one of them is even capable of speech."

I grinned triumphantly. _The bastard got what he deserved. Let's see him try to talk trash about my mate now, without his voice box. I bet that burns._

We returned back to the house at a leisurely pace, wrapped up in our own little peaceful bubble, giving the other occupants time to heal and recover their equilibrium.

Char was hovering protectively over a silently morose Peter. Garrett, on the other hand, was practically bouncing in place, eagerly awaiting our arrival.

"Well, if it isn't my new best friend!" he declared happily upon spying us. "That old coot has had it coming for a long time now, and anyone who can put that punk in his place is worthy of my warmest affection. He's been harassing the rest of us and getting away with it for far too long."

I smiled slightly, but kept myself hyper-alert to the whereabouts of both Peter and Char at all times. I noticed Char seemed equally wary of me.

"What happened?" Char asked Jasper plaintively. "How was she able to hurt him?" It had been quite a wake-up call for Char, since her mate had always seemed invincible before. She'd never had to worry about losing him prior to today.

"Remember I told you Edward was never able to read Bella's mind?" Jasper reminded her. "I didn't really think anything of it, because both Alice's gift and my gift always worked on her just fine. A few minutes ago though, she was able to stop my gift from working too. I think she may have some kind of gift that protects her from being influenced by others' gifts."

Char's mouth dropped open, her expression horrified. "But if his gift doesn't work on her, that means she can kill him!"

Jasper simply nodded, while I narrowed my eyes at her.

"He called Jasper an ugly, scarred freak and threatened to take me away from him and offer me up to his friends to have sex with," I growled. "He deserved it!"

Char frowned and shook her head. "He was just spouting nonsense. He didn't mean anything by it. He was just playing with you."

"Oh, really? Well, guess what, Char?" I drawled. "Peter is an ugly, scarred freak. Nobody would want to look at him, much less touch him, not even his mate. He doesn't deserve you. I'm going to do you a favor and take you away from him, maybe introduce you to some better lovers."

Char let loose a ferocious growl and tried to attack, murderous rage in her eyes. Of course, Jasper promptly dropped her to the ground mid-pounce, writhing in pain. He was crouched protectively in front of me. I put a hand on his back and sent him some calm, pleased that I'd made my point.

Jasper eased up and let Char sit up, where she promptly glared hatefully at me. Jasper was giving me a disappointed look that I didn't quite understand.

"What's the matter, Char?" I challenged. "I was just kidding. Why weren't you laughing?"

"That wasn't funny, you little bitch!" she snarled. Garrett nodded, frowning.

"But I only said to you the same thing Peter said to me. Why is it okay for Peter to say those things to me about Jasper, but not okay for me to say those same things to you about him? Think about how that made you feel, and now you understand how I feel. I don't have Peter's gift operating on me to make me think whatever words come out of his mouth should be viewed with humor and camaraderie. I agree with you - it wasn't funny at all. Those words were extremely offensive on so many levels!"

Everyone's eyes widened as they realized the truth. I saw understanding register in Jasper's eyes, removing the disappointment. Nobody had been able to evaluate Peter's words and their effects properly until they heard them spoken by someone else. They had all been condemning me for saying such hateful things to Char, and now realized that Peter was the one who deserved the condemnation.

Everyone turned to look at Peter, and he grimaced. I was pleased to see the large scar on his throat. It would serve as an eternal reminder not to mess with me or mine.

"I'm sorry, Bella," Peter apologized, his voice raspy. "I was way out of line. I know how I felt to hear you say those things to my lovely Char, and it helped me understand in a way nothing else ever has. I promise to never insult or threaten you or Jasper like that ever again."

I watched him suspiciously, inclining my head slightly in acknowledgement, though I didn't fully trust his words.

He turned to Jasper. "I'm sorry, brother, very sorry. I never should have said such hurtful things. It's one thing to tease, but I went way too far. I know we were trying to get my gift to work on Bella so she would automatically trust me, and neither of us realized the dangers, considering her ability to block Edward even as a human. I guess I'm going to have to earn her trust the old fashioned way, and I've only made that harder with my stupid little stunt."

Jasper smiled and nodded, appreciating the sincerity, remorse, and love Peter was sending him.

Peter turned back to me. "The way it usually works, my gift would've ensured that all was forgiven and forgotten, erasing any hurt or hard feelings. As a result, I've never worried about guarding my tongue or thought about how terrible the things I say really are. I never meant to cause such pain and resentment between us. I really am truly sorry and will work to earn your forgiveness and trust."

"Forgiven, but not forgotten, my friend," Garrett confessed. "Your words can come back to haunt us when we're away from you."

Peter's eyes widened and filled with shame, now knowing that he _had_ been hurting people all these years. He could still play pranks and have fun without being insulting.

"I'm sorry for blaming you and not understanding how you felt to hear such horrible things," Char added. "I understand why you attacked. After you turned Peter's words back on me, I was ready to shred you, seeing you only as an enemy who wanted to separate me from my mate, triggering all my protective instincts, and _I'm_ not an hours old newborn. You're right, as much as I hate to admit it. Your attack was fully justified. He deserved it."

Peter winced, hearing his mate's condemnation. It only solidified his resolve to make things right.

**xxxxxxx**

**AN:** Please review! I love your feedback!


	38. Sharing Information

**Sharing Information**

"So what the hell has been happening while Bella and I were out of it?" Jasper demanded, as the group settled into the living room to discuss the current situation facing the vampire world. "Last I heard, Victoria was in police custody. Now I hear from Charlie that humanoids are turning up in Forks looking for our coven, hoping to be turned back into vampires. How has it spread so quickly?"

"Riley went into Mexico, and Victoria managed to get loose somehow and went straight to Italy. Since it only takes 20 min for someone who has drank cursed blood to become humanoid themselves, this plague is spreading like wildfire. It's like the zombie apocalypse, only for vampires instead of humans," Peter explained.

Jasper cursed, then asked with narrowed eyes, "Did you warn Maria when you saw which way he was headed?"

Peter winced and shook his head. "I decided against it, but I did call all our other friends once I realized it was spreading, as did Carlisle, and the Volturi."

Jasper scowled. "She could've stopped him right then and there if she'd known what to watch for, Peter. Instead, there are hundreds, if not thousands, infected by now."

Garrett reported what he'd seen and done, which led to the explanation that animal blood was the only known deterrent for the time being and that Carlisle was busy working on finding a cure in the wilds of South America.

Jasper called Alice to get a report from her on what had been happening on her end for the past few days. When she reported the death of Maria and the other Southern warlords, Peter hopped up and began dancing around the coffee table, singing a rousing rendition of "Ding, dong, the witch is dead, the wicked witch is dead!"

I smirked, cautiously admitting to myself he was rather amusing when he wasn't insulting or threatening someone I loved.

"Hush!" Jasper half-heartedly admonished, trying to hide his smile. Even though Maria considered them friends, Jasper wasn't as sanguine about their past. He hadn't forgotten that she'd once planned to kill him, even if she had subsequently 'forgiven' him for his desertion.

Apparently they weren't the only former vampires to turn up at the Cullen's house in Forks though. A steady stream of visitors had come, having been told Carlisle was working on a cure and knowing he was an animal drinker. They believed his coven might be their last hope, considering the Volturi's order to kill any humanoids on sight.

Unluckily for them, most of them had murdered humans to steal transportation with which to approach Forks, and the wolves were able to smell the bodies decaying in the trunks or the small amounts of blood the humanoids had gotten on their clothing in the process. The wolves were now inclined to kill any and every former vampire they encountered, since unlike Alice and Edward who were directly cursed by the witch, these humanoids were clearly prior human drinkers by virtue of the words of the curse itself.

As a result, the wolves felt no remorse in killing murderers, beings they considered evil because they had no respect for human lives, even though they had beating hearts now. They realized the former vampires had a choice to feed from animals instead, but continued drinking from humans anyway. Therefore, in the wolves' minds, they deserved what they got.

Charlie was up to his neck in dead bodies. The FBI were now investigating what seemed to be a serial killer or a gang who liked to murder people and leave their bodies in the trunks of their own vehicles abandoned in various places along the 101 both north and south of Forks, as there had been more than half a dozen such cars found on the side of the road by local and state police.

The wolves were taking care of the other dead bodies, the nonhuman ones, who wouldn't have worried family members fretting over their sudden disappearance and demise. The ash heap was growing steadily.

As soon as he hung up with Alice, Jasper called Carlisle to get an update on that front.

"I've found a cure of sorts," Carlisle admitted. "Though it turns the recipients into half-vampires instead of full vampires. At least it stops the curse."

"Half-vampires?" our group wondered. "What the heck?"

Carlisle explained all the differences between the hybrids and regular vampires. "Rose and Emmett are changing now. As soon as they're finished, we'll be heading back to Forks, along with several other hybrids. I'm hoping Alice and Edward will agree to be changed too once they see the results. I'm worried that they'll end up killed if they don't accept the cure. Will you join us there?"

"I'm not sure about having a newborn around the hybrids," Jasper replied skeptically. "I think it would be safer for everyone if we stayed away for a while. I'd hate for something to happen."

"Their blood really doesn't smell appetizing, Jasper," Carlisle cajoled. "Even the Amazonians agree they don't smell like food."

"Yeah, well, Bella nearly decapitated Peter earlier when she ripped out a large chunk of his throat," Jasper calmly replied. "How well do the hybrids handle sudden limb removal?"

"Wait! She attacked _Peter's_ throat?! How?!" Carlisle exclaimed.

"Seems she can be quite stubborn and determined when she wants to be," Jasper responded cautiously, not knowing who was listening in on Carlisle's side.

Realizing his near mistake, Carlisle quickly covered it. "I'm surprised that Peter was caught off guard like that, as experienced with newborns as he is."

"Must be losing his touch in his old age," Jasper joked.

"Hey!" Peter protested. "Okay, okay. I admit I forgot to engage my brain before shooting off my mouth ..."

"So what else is new," Garrett muttered.

Peter shot him a look and continued, "And I unwittingly triggered her protective instincts for her mate. As you know, there's little that can stop an enraged newborn in the process of defending his or her mate. They're like the Incredible Hulk on steroids. I wasn't expecting that level of aggression and wasn't in the proper defensive mindset. That's all."

"I see," Carlisle murmured in a confused tone, which indicated he really didn't see at all, even though he knew what Peter was saying was true. He remembered Emmett as a newborn in a protective rampage over Rose. There was a huge 'earthquake' and 'rock slide' in the mountains that day, and only Rose had been able to calm him down, while the rest of the family made themselves scarce, running a perimeter to keep the humans away.

Still it didn't explain how she went for his throat. _Nobody ever goes for Peter's throat, due to his gift. The only way she could've gone for his throat was if Peter's gift wasn't working . . . like Edward's gift didn't work . . . Oh!_ Carlisle thought. "Oh, I _see_," he muttered in a fascinated tone this time.

"Have you been in touch with the Volturi?" Jasper asked cautiously.

Catching his meaning instantly, Carlisle replied, "Yes, Aro and Caius are both dead, as are Chelsea, Afton, and Santiago. Marcus is the one who killed them once they became infected, and he ordered all humanoids destroyed on sight until the cure is found. I haven't told him I found the cure yet, because I wanted to take care of my family first, just in case. I don't want to say anything until I've ensured Alice's and Edward's safety, because I know the Volturi will come to me to investigate, and I don't want my children to be vulnerable."

Jasper was relieved that Aro was gone, as he was the greatest threat to Bella. _With Chelsea gone too, the Volturi must be in a shambles_, he thought, feeling as if a burden had been lifted from his shoulders.

**xxxxxxx**

Jane glared balefully at the waitress who'd offered her a children's menu. Feeling a headache coming on, the waitress massaged her temples as she stomped away, muttering under her breath, "Rude, disrespectful little brat."

"I hate being human!" Jane whined to her brother, wishing she could've made the waitress writhe on the floor, screaming in pain.

Alec rolled his eyes and let loose a long-suffering sigh. Jane was even more annoying as a humanoid than as a vampire, but with the benefit of her gift only working as well as it had back when she was human and accused of being a witch. Thankfully, that meant her gift didn't work on him at all, though she could still affect the humans around them enough to give them headaches.

_Though she doesn't need her gift to do that_, he thought with a snort. _Her whiny voice and obnoxious behavior are just as painful._

"Why won't you change me back?" she asked him for the fifth time.

"I can't, Jane," he reminded her yet again. "If I tried, I'd be in the same boat as you. Can you imagine how hard it would be for us if we were both humans at our age? We'd be taken in by social services and sent to a foster home! I can't protect you if I get infected too."

"Why can't we go see Corin? I miss her!" Jane complained.

"I do too, believe me," Alec growled, starting to lose his patience. They'd already had this discussion before, multiple times. "But Marcus has given the order to kill any humanoids on sight, so she'd kill you!"

Jane sniffed, scowling. "Maybe that would be better than _this_!"

"Are you eager to die now?" he asked, throwing up his hands in exasperation.

Jane pouted, sticking out her bottom lip, which didn't look at all cute now that she was no longer a vampire. "No, but I need her gift."

"So do I," Alec sighed, feeling the longing ache inside him. "So do I."

The waitress brought Jane's food, which she'd pointedly ordered off the adult menu.

Jane's attitude improved marginally after eating her meal and drinking her soda. She'd developed quite an affinity for Coke, the sugar and caffeine boosting her mood and energy level for brief periods of time. She found she enjoyed the foods readily available in the modern age, particularly ice cream sundaes.

After dessert, Jane was in the best mood she was capable of producing these days. "Please, brother, let us try to find Corin. You can scout the area and find out if she'd be receptive. Maybe we can pay her. She left Italy suddenly, and it's awfully hard to live these days without funds of some kind."

He hesitantly agreed, knowing he was in serious withdrawals and fiercely craving Corin's gift. Alec worried that if he didn't get relief soon, he'd finally lose his temper with his sister and injure or kill her himself in a fit of rage. So far, he'd been able to simply knock her out with his gift when her whining got to be too much, convincing her afterward that she'd fallen asleep. However, his fuse was getting shorter and shorter as time passed, and she continued grating on his nerves. If she weren't his twin, he'd have lit her up long ago.

**xxxxxxx**

**AN:** Still with me?


	39. Uncovering Secrets

**AN:** My apologies, everyone. Been dealing with sick kids and haven't had time to write. NatalieLynn asked me if the Denali coven was also getting humaoid visitors, which gave me the inspiration for the first part of this chapter. Thanks!

**Uncovering Secrets**

After hearing about how the humanoids were showing up in Forks, seeking help from the Cullen coven, Jasper decided to give Eleazar a call and check on the situation there.

"Hello?" Eleazar answered cautiously.

"Hey, this is Jasper. I just wanted to check on you guys and see if you're having trouble getting overrun with humanoids."

"We've had some come here looking for help, yes, and we've complied with the Volturi's orders to execute them all on sight," Eleazar assured him, his voice cold.

Jasper was surprised. "Really? I'd have thought you'd just keep them contained until Carlisle found the cure, especially the ones you knew."

"We would never go against a direct order from the Volturi," Eleazar insisted.

"You do know Aro's dead, right?" Jasper offered.

"Oh, thank God!" Eleazar exclaimed, then caught himself. "I mean, really? Thank you for sharing that information, Jasper."

Jasper chuckled. "Caius, Chelsea, Afton, and Santiago are toast too, just to let you know."

"Even better!" Eleazar admitted. "Now, if Carlisle will just hurry up and find a cure, I'd be even happier."

"He did find it, but he didn't want to let the Volturi know until he took care of our family first. Several of our members were infected back in the beginning, before we knew the true nature of the curse, and we've been protecting them," Jasper confessed.

"Oh, thank heavens!" Eleazar gasped. "To be honest with you, Jasper, we _were_ allowing the ones who came here to stay with us at first, but then Tanya found her mate in one of them, so we ended up killing all the others to keep her mate safe. We were worried Demetri would notice the concentration of people here and come investigate. We couldn't afford to let them go, in case they'd rat us out to Aro as ignoring the order to kill. The Volturi are obviously keeping Aro's death quiet on purpose."

"Ah, that makes more sense," Jasper replied. "Well, Carlisle and the others will be returning to Forks shortly, if you want to join him there."

"I think I will. Thank you, Jasper."

**xxxxxxx**

Dimitri frowned as he noticed Carlisle moving rapidly away from South America, indicating he was on a plane. Emmett's and Rosalie's sparks had disappeared two days prior, just as Esme's had a few days before that. Sighing, he decided he'd better report this new information to Marcus.

He knocked on Marcus's study door and found the ancient vampire staring moodily at a portrait of his long deceased mate. Demetri had been pleased to find that Marcus was an excellent strategist and easily capable of ruling the remainder of the vampire world without the help of the two 'brothers' who'd given all the orders for centuries. In fact, Marcus was much easier to serve and was the reason, other than the obligation to settle the issue of the plague, that Demetri was willingly staying on in his position, now that Chelsea's false bonds no longer tied him there.

"Sir? I have news," Demetri quietly informed him. Marcus had quickly done away with the title of Master, not feeling the need for such pomp.

Marcus turned to him, giving his full attention to the other vampire, hoping for good news for once. "Yes?"

Unbeknownst to the rest of the vampire world, every few years Aro sent Demetri out on round the world tours to collect 'sparks'. As long as Demetri came within 2 miles of any other vampires, his gift would pick up the essence of their minds. As a result, all he had to do was fly over their heads in a plane at 10,000 feet and could get enough of a reading to be able to find them forever after, even if he didn't know their names, gifts, or anything else about them.

Sometimes he would fly lower in a smaller plane, around a thousand feet, circling an area so he could get visuals of the new vampires and listen to their conversations. He would play a recording of a human heartbeat, so the vampires below would assume the pilot was human, and of course, they couldn't smell him inside the enclosed aircraft. Vampires on the ground paid no attention to the circling plane, considering the human occupant to be of no interest or threat, allowing Demetri to spy on them with ease. That was how he learned names and faces to go with most of the sparks. Aro deliberately kept the rest of the vampire world in the dark about this aspect of Demetri's gift to keep the upper hand. Most vampires had no idea Demetri and thus Aro knew of their existence, since they'd never met either face to face.

This enabled Demetri and Aro, to keep track of the total vampire population in the world, as well as be alert if a collection of vampires was gathering in any one area. This made it easy for Aro to quell a rebellion or uprising before it could gain strength. Up until the plague, the world's vampire population hovered around 500, with roughly half of them involved in the ongoing Southern Vampire Wars of Central America. Because the vampires in that area changed so often due to creation and destruction, Demetri would fly over that area every three or four months, noting the turnover of sparks. He'd just done one of his spy missions two weeks prior to learning of the curse.

His gift worked on humans too, but Demetri had succeeded in suppressing that aspect of his gift so he wouldn't get overwhelmed with information overload, choosing only to watch the vampire sparks, which glowed bright orange in his mind's eye, and ignore the billions of others. Now that he knew what to watch for, he realized he could pinpoint which vampires had been infected by the curse, as their spark changed color when they transformed.

"There are less than a hundred true vampires left," Demetri reported. "Of the four hundred who've transformed into these humanoid creatures, there are about 80 still alive. 75 of those are dispersed throughout Central America, probably having returned to their human families. The other five are Alice and Edward of the Cullen coven in Washington state, Takumi of the Sato coven in Alaska, Jane of the Volturi in Latvia, and Corin of the Volturi in Saint Petersburg."

"Indeed?" Marcus, replied, lost in thought. "What of Sulpicia and Athenadora?"

"Corin killed them before she became cursed when she found them following her," Demetri replied.

"And Alec?"

"He's still with Jane. He must be protecting her, thinking to hide her condition until Carlisle finds the cure," Demetri speculated.

"I guess we know now why Carlisle has been working so diligently on finding a cure, though he obviously is not as trustworthy as I thought, since he has chosen to hide his family's condition from me and at the same time, deliberately disobeyed my orders on disposing of any humanoids," Marcus murmured thoughtfully.

"In all fairness, he was not with any of his coven at the time you gave the orders. Since then, he has either complied, albeit slowly, or he has found a cure. His mate, Esme, and two others he sired, Rosalie and Emmett, were also humanoid and were located in South America. In the past few days their sparks have disappeared off my radar while in his company."

"So they are dead then?" Marcus inquired, frowning.

Demetri shrugged, answering, "Aro had me test my gift in many ways in the past. I found that when a human is changed into a vampire, his human spark disappears for me and his new vampire spark doesn't appear until I get close enough for my gift to register it. I don't know why I can still detect the humanoids after their transformation, when I can't detect those who become vampires. Perhaps it's because their supernatural status is downgraded instead of upgraded. Thus, it's possible I'm no longer able to detect them because they've endured the transformation back into vampires."

"Ah, I see. How troublesome. If they'd been cured, transformed back into vampires, I'm sure Carlisle would've already reported his success."

"Not necessarily," Demetri countered. "He's on his way north in an airplane now, headed toward Washington state, where his other two coven members are. It's possible he wishes to cure them before letting you know of his success. Of course, it is also possible he has failed, as you thought, and is on his way back to terminate them the way he did the other three."

"If he's been successful, why wait to report it?" Marcus questioned, his brow furrowed. "His family would be safe enough, because the kill decree is in place only until the cure is found."

Demetri narrowed his eyes. "Perhaps to hide his culpability for the current predicament. I've looked back through my memories, watching the movement of his coven's sparks and discovered some disturbing information. His first companion, Edward, was the first humanoid. He had been traveling on his own away from the coven for several months when his spark changed color down in South America. He must have been the first to encounter the witch Carlisle mentioned."

Marcus's eyes widened as Demetri continued explaining, "The rest of Carlisle's coven then flew to South America and went to Edward's aid, only for everyone but Jasper and Carlisle himself to become humanoid as well. They must've encountered the same witch, because their change was different from everyone else's since then, taking days instead of minutes. Afterward, they went their separate ways, with the majority of them going to Washington, while the couple, Rosalie and Emmett went to California. After a few days, a nomad encountered the couple in California and started to change, before being killed by Rosalie. The couple rejoined Carlisle, and the next day another nomad, Victoria of the Hunter coven, came in contact with humanoid Edward and began changing."

Demetri frowned as he added, "She is the first of the new breed of humanoids, the ones exhibiting a rapid change, likely from drinking Edward's cursed blood. She must have had another vampire with her, a relatively new one since I don't have his spark registered within my gift, but her changing spark traveled away at vampire speed toward the closest airport, and we've seen that those who are transforming are incapacitated during that time. Victoria, is the one who came here to Volterra and infected Afton and Santiago before Gianna killed her."

He paused, searching his memory, then gasped in realization. "Victoria spent a few weeks in Central America with one of the warlords prior to traveling up to Washington state. Perhaps she picked up a newborn companion there. If the newborn who took her to the airport while she was changing attacked her once she awoke as a humanoid, then flew to Mexico City once he awoke from his own change, the timing would be perfect for the spread of the curse in Mexico. The first spark I detect changing there was just outside the airport in Mexico City, and it was a rapid change, like the ones that come from drinking from a humanoid, though I don't detect a humanoid spark present. From there it spread like wildfire, wiping out the entire vampire population in all of Central America within two days."

"So, in other words, this entire epidemic can be laid squarely on the Cullen coven's shoulders," Marcus deduced.

**xxxxxxx**

**AN:** Uh, oh. Looks like everyone has severely underestimated Demetri's capabilities. What do you think?


End file.
